Daughter of a Tigress
by Silver Wolf1
Summary: While on her first day of a new job, Artemis meets a young girl in her class and not only finds herself in a role that she never thought would happen, but is being pulled into a situation that could have very serious repercussions for all involved.
1. Chapter One: First Day

Ok. To start with, the characters and places in this fanfic aren't mine. They belong to DC Comics. I'm using them in this fanfic because I like Young Justice. Secondly, I don't care that much for Batman or Superman, so there will be some occasional bashing of the two in an attempt to keep this story light. Special thanks to Reina Grayson for helping me edit this. Anyway, I hope you like the story. Email any and all comments (even burns) toSilver_Howler1_99

Now on with the story;

Daughter of a Tigress

By Silver Wolf1

Chapter One

First Day...

She had to be jinxed, that's all there was to it. There is no way one person's day could be this bad. But yet here she was, Artemis Crock, stuck teaching a small group of five and six year olds. 'I've faced my father, near death experiences, aliens, wars, but nothing like this,' she thought as twenty-four pairs of eyes watched her from where they were seated on the floor. She took a deep breath and slowly started to relax before asking the first question.

"So, does anyone have a question for me?" A couple of hands slowly went up as she smiled at them. "Ok, let's start here in the front." she said pointing at the one student.

"Are you really our teacher?" a young boy asked.

She nodded and said, "Unless your principal thinks I would be better suited in a different classroom, I'm your teacher." She motioned towards a young girl sitting behind him who was straining to talk to the new teacher.

"You're pretty." the girl said smiling.

"Why thank you," Artemis replied with a slight nod. "Anyone else have a question?"

"Do you have a mother?" a girl in the back asked.

Truth be told, that wasn't a question that Artemis was prepared for. She looked over at the girl and said, "Yes, I do. Do you have a mother?" The girl slowly shook her head before looking at the floor. 'Weird,' Artemis thought. She barely had time to dwell on it when she heard the bell ring. "Ok everyone;" she said standing up. "Let's get started, shall we?"

As she proceeded with the lesson, Artemis couldn't help but feel as if there was something strange about that girl; like she had seen her somewhere before. 'Maybe I'm over thinking this.' she thought as she walked to the cafeteria. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a scream. Looking over at one of the tables, she saw a group of boys bullying one of the students.

"Don't interfere." one of the others teachers said walking over to her quietly.

"Why shouldn't we?" Artemis asked.

"If you do, it will only get worse." one teacher said walking past.

"No. It will get worse if we don't." she replied sitting at the table. As she watched the boys out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach watching them.

"You want to stop them, don't you?" the teacher across from her asked, "A lot of past teachers have tried to stop them, but are immediately fired because those boys claim sexual harassment or that the teacher touched them."

"Is that so?" Artemis asked as she pulled her phone out. 'Note to self; thank a certain bat for teaching me this trick.' she thought as she pushed a few buttons.

"What are you doing?" a teacher asked.

"Dealing with a bully." was the only reply before putting her phone away. She glanced over, and without even thinking, grabbed a pen from inside her jacket and threw it across the room with enough force it shattered a tray one of the boys was using as a ball bat.

"Just what do you think you doing?" she yelled as she surged to her feet.

"We were just talking to her." one of the boys said.

"I highly doubt that," Artemis retorted, "You four, main office. NOW!"

"Why should we listen to you?" one of the older boys asked.

"Because everything you've done to her, the teachers and every student has been recorded on the surveillance system that was upgrade over this past weekend will be broadcasted to every television, on every channel within a five county radius," she replied crossing her arms, "And just so you know, the new system now records sound and focus in on specific conversations."

"You're bluffing," the student replied. A smile started to appear on her face as she said, "I was hoping you'd say that."

"So has the little throw away found her mommy yet?" echoed through the room as the monitors kicked on. All eyes turned and watched as a replay of what the four boys both said and did to the girl started playing.

"Think I'm bluffing now?" Artemis asked watching them, "Main office, now…and don't even try to leave before I get there or else." The boys quickly got to their feet and started running to the office.

"I don't believe you did that." one of the teachers said.

"And you doing nothing makes you no better than them." Artemis said coldly before walking over to the girl.

She knelt next to her and softly asked, "Are you ok?"

The girl slowly looked at her and said, "No one's ever stood up for me before."

"Yeah….well, I hate bullies." Artemis said smiling, "What's your name?"

"Kara." the girl said before her stomach growled.

"I take it that was your tray they were going to hit you with, huh?" Artemis asked.

Kara shook her head and said, "They threw my lunch in the trash when I arrived this morning." Artemis was silent for a few second before going over and grabbing her lunch.

"In that case, you can have mine." she said placing it in front of the young girl, "I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to eat it."

"Really?" Kara asked.

"Just make sure you eat it all, ok?" Artemis said before heading towards the office. She was about half way there when her phone rang. "Thanks for the backup, little bird." she said knowing who it was.

"Don't thank me, thank Barbara." a familiar voice replied of the phone, "She was the one that asked me to upgrade those cameras."

"Still I owe you one, Robin." she said with a slight smile.

"No problem and you're really going to like Black Canary;" he said with a slight chuckle, "She saw that video and contacted the school board about what those teachers told you. The district superintendent will be arriving in about five minutes to clean house."

"Good," she said reaching her destination, "Talk to you later." She ended the call and had no more then put her phone away when one of the boys opened the door. "Just where do you think you're going?" she asked.

He swallowed hard before replying, "Uh, the bathroom."

"Go sit down." she said not believing him. She followed him back into the office and leaned against a wall were she could keep an eye on the four of them.

"Excuse me, Ms. Crock," the secretary said glancing between the boys and the blonde, "Why are you here with them?"

"Bring up the browser on your computer," Artemis said with an evil grin then she turned to the boys, "I warned you boys about trying to leave."

The voices of the four boys could be heard from the computers speakers before the secretary yelled, "JEREMY DOUGLAS!"

The one boy flinched before saying, "Uh-oh."

Artemis looked over to find the secretary glaring at the one before asking, "Your kid?"

"He lives with his father," the secretary replied sounding upset. "But not for much longer."

"You're screwed." the one of the other boys said.

"I wouldn't be talking, Harold." the secretary said as the door opened.

"What did he do this time?" an elder gentleman that asked looking towards the four as he entered the office.

"He was caught on camera bullying another student during lunch, Mr. Blackthorn." the secretary answered.

"He did what?" Mr. Blackthorn asked.

"Made derogatory statements and threatened another student with bodily harm before attempting to break a tray across the back of said student's head," Artemis replied. "And the only thing that stopped me was you throwing that knife at it." Jeremy retorted.

"That was a pen, not a knife." Artemis replied coolly.

"A pen?" one of the other boys asked in disbelief.

"A pen." she said before the principal walked in.

Upon seeing the four, the principal sighed and asked. "Ok, whose saying they did what this time?"

"Thomas Eric Blackthorn." Mr. Blackthorn said walking up to the principal. "You have some massive explaining to do."

"D-dad, what are you doing here?" the principal asked surprised.

"I thought I'd stop in to see if you were free for lunch, only to find out that my grandson is bullying students," Mr. Blackthorn replied, "If I find out that this is true, my grandson will be going to military school until he realizes that is not acceptable behavior. Regardless of what your precious little 'my son can do no wrong' hippie of a wife thinks. "

"Don't bother asking if it's true, for it was recorded on the schools video cameras." the secretary said.

"I want to see that video, Milly." the principal said looking over at her.

"Turn on any TV in the school and you will see it," Artemis said calmly, "It's on a continuous loop for the remainder of the day."

"If that's the case," the principal said looking at his father. "Which military school did you want to ship him off too?"


	2. Chapter Two: Man Delights Not Me

Chapter Two

Man Delights Not Me...

The fallout from the bullying incident caused one of the biggest shake up in the school's history. While the four boys had been expelled; some of the teachers had received reprimanded for not stepping in sooner, but the same could not be said for the two Artemis spoke with. Both had received there termination notice that day and their classes would divided amongst the other teachers of the same grade. As Artemis finished locking her desk after class a few weeks later, she noticed that Kara was still sitting in her seat.

"Uh, Kara, school's over for the weekend." she said walking over.

"I know," the young girl said staring at her desk.

"So why don't you head home?" Artemis asked walking over.

"Because no one will be there," Kara replied.

Puzzled, Artemis pulled a chair over and sat down before asking, "What do you mean no one will be there? Where are your parents?"

Kara was quiet for a few seconds before saying. "I live in a foster home and they went on a trip today. I don't know who my parents are."

"Ok, but why can't you go home?" Artemis asked not completely understanding.

"They locked the doors and won't be back until sometime Sunday." Kara said as her stomach growled.

Artemis slowly closed her hands into fist before saying. "I know somewhere you can stay."

"You do?" Kara asked looking up at her teacher.

"Yeah, but I have to make a phone call real quick." Artemis said before going to get her phone. She punched a few buttons on her cell before grabbing her purse. "Grab your backpack, Kara. We're going." Artemis said. Kara quickly did as instructed and followed her teacher.

"Where are we going?"

"You're going to stay with me for the weekend." Artemis replied as they walked to her car.

"You won't get in trouble for that, will you?" Kara asked nervously.

"The only ones that are going to be in trouble are your foster parents." Artemis replied as they reached her car. After getting in and buckling up, she started the car and started driving back to her place. "I am going to warn you right now." Artemis said glancing at her student briefly, "I have a dog and I can't guarantee a friend won't stop by needing help with homework."

"That's fine. I know how to be quiet," Kara replied.

"You do?" Artemis asked.

"My foster parents have people stopping by almost every night," Kara said looking out a window. "I get punished if I make any noise, so I have to be really quiet."

Artemis pulled her car over to the curb and put it in park. "Kara, look at me." she said looking at the young girl.

Kara turned her attention to her teacher and asked. "D-did I do something wrong?"

"You've done nothing wrong," Artemis assured her. "But you should never be silent if you think something is wrong, ok?"

"But what if you know what someone is doing is wrong?" Kara asked.

"Then you tell an adult," Artemis said looking her in the eyes. "Are your foster parents doing something wrong?"

The girl was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I don't think their good people."

"Then I'll make certain you stay away from them. I promise," Artemis said, before Kara's stomach growled again. "Let's go home so we can eat, ok?"

Kara nodded before smiling and asked, "Can we have pizza?"

"You know, that actually sounds good," Artemis replied before she started driving again.

The atmosphere in the car seemed to take on a lighter tone as the two began talking about small things. It wasn't until Artemis pulled into the drive of her place when Kara asked, "Have you ever heard of someone called Tigress?"

Artemis couldn't help but smile as she said, "Yeah, she one of my favorites. Do you like her?"

"Yup, and my foster dad doesn't," Kara said, unbuckling her seatbelt, "He complains about her every time when he comes back from his trips sometimes."

"What does he do for a living?" Artemis asked as they got out of the car.

"I'm not sure," Kara said with a slight shrug. As they walked up to Artemis's place, they heard someone laughing from inside.

"Great. He's here early," Artemis muttered.

"Who's here?" Kara asked a little frightened.

"A pain in my butt," Artemis said unlocking the front door. She pushed it open to find a teen with black hair playing with her dog.

"Robin, where is he?" Artemis asked entering.

"That particular person's not here tonight," the teen replied looking at her, "Who's your friend?"

"Robin, this is Kara," she said indicating the girl partially hidden behind her, "Kara, this is Robin. His friend in the bathroom is the one I said might stop by for some homework help." Kara gave a slight wave and smiled saying,

"Hi. Is your name really Robin?"

"It's a nickname," Robin replied getting up, "And fair warning, Artemis, after what happened on your first day; a certain friend of ours convinced me to put a listening device in your bracelet."

"Does this 'friend' happen to have red hair, about as tall as me, and can kick your brother's butt without even trying?" she asked putting her purse in a chair.

"Pixie cut brown hair, green eyes, and has been getting my brother into trouble because he pranked her," he replied leaning against a chair.

"After what he did, I don't blame her," a dark skinned teen said as he entered the room.

"Virgil, what are you doing here?" Artemis asked looking at him.

Virgil held up a book and said. "My Lit teacher wants us to memorize a speech from Shakespeare no later than Monday."

"You're asking the wrong person," she said walking over to the couch.

"J'onn is on assignment and can't be reached," he replied watching her, "All I need is someone to help me pick one that isn't as well known as the 'To be or not to be' one."

"What about 'man delights not me'?" Kara asked watching the dog as it walked over to her.

All eyes looked over at the girl as Virgil asked, "You know Shakespeare?"

"It's from Hamlet," she replied taking a slow step back from the dog.

"Brucely won't hurt you," Artemis calmly told her as she sat down. "He just wants to know who you are."

"Ok," Kara said standing still.

"How does that speech go?" Virgil asked.

"I have of late, but where for I know not, have lost all my mirth," Kara started to say as Brucely sniffed her hand. "Lost all custom of exercise and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition. That this goodly form, the Earth, seems to be a sterile promontory. The most excellent canopy the air, look you. This brave or hanging firmament, this majestic roof threaded with golden fire. Why it appears to me, no other than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is man; how noble in reason, how infinite in faculty. In form and moving, how express and admirable; in action, how like an angel; in apprehension, how like a god. The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals; and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust. Man delights not me.'"

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds before Virgil looked at Artemis and asked. "Who is this kid?"

"One of my students apparently," Artemis said amazed. "And I think you have your speech."

"I never liked the 'To be or not to be' one," Kara said as she started petting the dog, "It feels like he thinking about hurting himself."

"Yeah, it kind of comes across as being a dark speech," Virgil said pulling out his phone.

"Who are you calling?" Artemis asked.

"If you don't mind, I'm ordering pizza for everyone." He replied.

"Thanks, but you know you don't have to." she said kicking her shoes off.

"I know, but think of it as my way of say thanks." he said before stepping into the hallway.

"So Robin," Artemis said turning her attention to the other teen in the room. "About this listening device."

"It goes on when you're at school and turns off when you leave," he said, answering her unasked question, "And yes, Barbara is looking into Kara's foster parents."

"She won't like what she finds," Kara said with a giggle as Brucely started to sniff her neck.

"I don't doubt it." Robin said as his phone went off.

"Let me guess; it's either Barbara because she found something, or Cassie looking for you." Artemis said watching as her friend checked his phone.

"Both," he said calmly. "And Kara was right; you're not going to like this."

"What is it?" she asked leaning back against the couch.

"It's a clause in the paper work for Kara." he said reading his phone. "If anything happens to her foster parents, Kara is to go to either ones next of kin."

"Define anything and kin." she said; a little leery of what she was about to learn.

"Death or imprisonment and any living relative or godparent listed," he said before his phone beeped again, "Oh crap."

"What's 'oh crap?'" she asked.

"Three part bad news," he said reading the message, "One; her foster parents have been arrested. Two; her godparent is listed as Lex Luthor. And three; her foster dad, Mills Owens, is actually an alias for L-Lawrence Crock."

Artemis's eyes went wide as Kara asked. "Who is Lawrence Crock?"

"My father," Artemis replied as her eyes narrowed. "And she's staying with me."

"I'll let Barb know so we can get the ball rolling." Robin said before getting up and stepping outside.

Kara watched her teacher's friend leave before asking. "What's going on?"

Artemis patted the seat next to her before saying, "A friend was trying to find out some info on your foster parents and found out they were arrested. But because of the paperwork, you won't go back into the system."

"Where will I go?" Kara asked sitting next to her teacher.

"Well, the paperwork has your godparent listed as Lex Luthor." Artemis said, looking at her, "But the name your foster dad was using was a fake one, so you will probably be able to go with a member of his family."

"Can't I stay with you?" Kara asked as tears to well in the girl's eyes. "I like you…and your friends."

"Funny you should say that," Artemis said as she wrapped an arm around her students shoulders, "You foster dad is actually my father. So, Robin is on the phone trying to get it so you stay with me."

Kara's eyes started to widen as she looked from her teacher to the door and back and asked. "Really?"

Artemis started to nod when Robin stepped back into the room. "Well?" the two asked looking at him.

He walked over and sat in a chair before saying, "Dinah is taking care of the legal aspect, but Barbara dug a little deeper and found something."

"What did she find?" Artemis asked. "She ran a wide spectrum DNA search to try and find something on Kara's parents." he said looking at her. "When she did that, she got a hit immediately on the mother."

"Y-you found my mom?" Kara asked surprised.

"In a way," he said looking at the girl. "This is where it gets complicated."

"How and what do you mean complicated?" Artemis asked.

Robin looked back down at his phone for a moment before saying. "In Kara's file is a paper from a company that donated an egg to a couple that was trying to have a baby. The serial number of the egg matches one that was previously registered to a clinic you donated some of your eggs to eight years ago, Artemis."

"Wait a minute," she interrupting him, "You mean she's…?"

"Because you never signed a paper that states you relinquish all parental rights if your eggs are used by another couple, Luthor has no claim." Robin finished saying. "Kara goes directly to you because you are her biological mother."

"M-Miss Artemis is my…..?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, she is." he said as Virgil walked in.

"Sorry it took so long, but it will be here in about twenty minutes." he said pulling a kitchen chair over and sitting down. "What did miss?"

"I have a daughter." Artemis replied looking at him.

"You what?" he asked unsure of what he just heard.

"I have a daughter." she repeated as she started to cry.

"You ok, Artemis?" Robin asked looking at her.

"He should've been here." she said quietly looking at the floor as her tears fell unchecked, "Damn it, Wally. "

"Are you ok, mom?" Kara asked unsure of what to do.

Artemis wiped her tears away before gently pulling her daughter into a hug and said, "I will be."

"Hey Rob," Virgil said as he watched what was going on, "You're going to have to explain this to me, because I'm kind of lost."


	3. Chapter 3: Not You're Normal Saturday

Chapter Three

Not You're Normal Saturday...

The courts had no choice but to grant Artemis custody after it was determined via a DNA test that Kara was her daughter. From there, things started to change. The spare room at her place was converted into a bedroom and her book selection grew via recommendations from Kara. But the biggest change could be seen and felt at school. Kara seemed more open and started to be more active in the classroom. Granted the look on the staff members' faces when they found out the relationship between the two could only be described as priceless.

As Kara slowly opened her eyes one Saturday morning, she found a pair of green eyes looking at her. Normally this wouldn't have bothered her, but the green face they belong to smiled before saying, "Hi."

Kara let out a startled yell before scrambling backwards, only to fall off the bed and land with a thud on the floor. She instantly pulled herself into a ball and grabbed the back of her head as she rolled onto her side. "Kara, are you ok?" Artemis asked entering the room.

"No," the young girl replied as she slowly started to sit up.

Artemis walked over and knelt next to her daughter as she asked, "What happened?"

"Something scared me and I fell off the bed." Kara said rubbing the back of her head.

Artemis was about to ask another question, but stopped when she heard someone yell from the living room. "Now what?" she asked getting up. She entered the room to find two familiar figures in her living room. "Do I want to know why you scared my kid, M'gann?" she said sounding a little upset.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if Robin was right." the Martian replied with a slight shrug, "That she looks like a smaller version of you."

"You could've looked at the photo she has of her on the fridge." Conner said from where he was sitting.

"You could've told me sooner." she growled looking at her boyfriend.

"Am I going to have to call them in order to get you two to stop?" Artemis asked crossing her arms.

"Sorry Artemis." M'gann said sinking down in her seat a little.

"Uh, mom," Kara said slowly as she entered the room. "Why is her skin green?"

"Kara, I'd like you to meet Conner and his girlfriend M'gann," Artemis said taking care of the introductions. "As far as your question goes, I'm going to let her explain; considering she was the one that scared you this morning."

"Sorry about that," M'gann said a little sheepishly.

"Don't do it again," Kara said before sitting on the couch. "But why is your skin green?"

"That's because I'm a Martian." M'gann said slowly as her skin changed color.

"Wow." Kara said as her eyes went wide.

"Now explain to me why you two are here this early on my day off." Artemis said looking at Conner.

"Besides M'gann wanting to meet Kara." he said with a slight grin, "Halloween's a little over a week away."

"Oh I know," she said.

"What's Halloween?" Kara asked looking at her mother. "It's when kids dress up and go around the neighborhood getting candy." Artemis replied shifting her gaze to her daughter. "And what makes it even better this year is that there's is a Halloween party at the Flash museum." M'gann said smiling, "A lot of the old team is going to be there and we were kind of hoping that you two will come."

"Can we go, mom?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"It'd be a good way for a lot of the team to meet Kara," Conner said.

"I don't know;" Artemis said before heading to the kitchen, "I can't just take off work guys."

"You wouldn't have too; it's next Saturday," M'gann said.

"And the museum is in Central City," Artemis replied getting a skillet down. "Kara doesn't know I'm Tigress and I don't want her finding out." Artemis quickly said via the mental link.

"You do have an old friend that would probably be more than willing to give you a lift there and back." Conner said with a slight nod.

"It would also mean getting costume for me and Kara." she said looking back in the living room.

"What do you want for breakfast, Kara?"

"I'll buy breakfast then we can go costume shopping," M'gann said quickly.

Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before putting the skillet back as she said, "We'll go only if we can find something today, alright?"

Kara smiled brightly before running over and giving her mother a hug. "Thanks mom." she said before running off to get dressed.

"She's a sweet kid." M'gann said with a slight laugh.

"And you've changed Artemis." Conner said after a few seconds.

"Why do you say that?" Artemis asked walking over to get her boots.

"You seem a lot happier." he replied.

"I am happy." she said sitting on the couch to pull her boots on.

"Where are we going for breakfast?" Kara asked as she went over and started pulling her shoes on.

"I don't know," M'gann said looking at the little girl. "What sounds good to you?"

"She's been trying to convince me to make waffles everyday this past week." Artemis said standing up.

"Then I think I know a place she'll like," Conner said, smiling. "And yes, it's here in Palo Alto."

"That's good." Artemis said grabbing her wallet from her purse. "You ready, kid?"

"Yup." Kara said, grabbing her jacket. After making sure the door was locked, they went down to where Artemis's car was waiting. _"There is another reason we came here, Artemis,"_ M'gann said via the link, _"The League thinks someone may try and grab Kara."_

 _"Over my dead body."_ Artemis replied as they got in. "So, where are we heading?" she asked aloud buckling in.

"It's on the corner of Fifth and Addison," Conner replied.

"I know the place," she said calmly before starting the car. The trip was silent as she drove the all too familiar trip.

"You ok, mom?" Kara asked from the back seat after a few minutes.

"I'm ok, Kara," Artemis replied looking in the mirror at her daughter. "Just thinking about an old memory."

"So, how's school been going, Kara?" M'gann asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Really great," Kara said, looking at her mother's friends. "Some of the boys don't like mom because she won't let them get away with anything."

"Yeah, boys can be like that." M'gann said with a slight laugh.

"What's it like being a Martian?" Kara asked.

"It can be challenging at times, but most of the time it's fun." M'gann replied.

"How can it be fun?" Kara asked.

"Go ahead, M'gann." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

 _"You sure that's a good idea?"_ Conner asked via the link.

"What's a good idea?" Kara asked looking at him.

"M'gann can create a mental link between people so we can talk without physically talking," Artemis replied as they came to a stop light. "Kind of like mental texting."

"Just think about what you want to say." M'gann said looking at the young girl.

 _"Like how pretty my mom is?"_ Kara thought.

"I'm glad you think that, Kara." Artemis said, smiling.

The young girl glanced at the others before smiling as she asked. "You heard that?"

"We all did." Conner said watching the side rear view mirror.

"Well it's true." Kara said, turning a little pink.

"Is something wrong, Conner?" Artemis asked glancing at him and noticed he kept his eyes looking over his shoulder and out the window.

"There's a black sedan two cars back that has been following us." he replied.

"Are you sure?" M'gann asked looking out the back window.

"Not for much longer." Artemis said before turning down an alley. Using the alleyways to her advantage, Artemis quickly lost her pursuer. "I wonder what that was all about." Artemis thought allowed.

"Do you think it could be that friend of my foster dad's and he wants his watch back?" Kara asked.

"What watch?" M'gann asked.

Kara reached into her inside jacket pocket and pulled out a pocket watch with a blue gem on the cover. "This one." she said handing it over.

"That's what they want." Conner said looking at it.

"How do you know?" M'gann asked looking at her boyfriend.

"Explain later." Artemis said turning down a road.

"Where are we going?" Kara asked.

"Some place I was hoping I wouldn't have to take you." Artemis said quietly as she pulled up into a parking garage. Once she parked the car, they quickly got out and made their way to what appeared to be an old telephone both.

"Robin says he's already set up access for Kara, but only if you're with her, Artemis." M'gann said as the door swung open.

"What's going on?" Kara asked looking a little scared.

Artemis picked her daughter up and held her close as she stepped inside the both saying, "Its ok, sweetie. We're just going to go see some of my friends."

"Then we get waffles?" Kara asked.

"As many as you want." Artemis said giving the young girl a reassuring smile. "Now close your eyes."

Kara did as she was told as a voice entered the booth.

"Recognized: Tigress; B-Zero Seven. Kara: A-Two Nine."

Light filled the booth briefly as the Zeta tube activated and transported them to the Watchtower.

"Ok, Kara, you can open your eyes." Artemis said calmly. Kara slowly opened her eyes and gasped.

"Where are we?" she asked as Conner and M'gann appeared seconds later.

"This is the Justice League's Watchtower." Artemis said as she started walking.

"You know the Justice League?" Kara asked, looking around.

"Long story." her mother said as a man in a blue outfit and a red cape came walking up.

"Who's your friend, Artemis?" the man asked smiling.

"My daughter, Kara;" she replied setting her down. "Kara, I'd like you to meet Superman."

The young girl's eyes widen slightly as she looked at the man before asking, "Why are you wearing your underwear outside your pants?"

Superman chuckled a little before kneeling down and spoke. "Actually, someone special made this outfit for me and ran out of fabric before they could finish the lower part."

"At least you're not gay like some of the boys at school say you are." she said before looking up at her mother, "Mom, I'm hungry."

"I know, sweetheart, we'll go get something in a few." Artemis said before motioning towards a window, "Why don't you go see if you can spot our place from here?"

"Ok." the girl said before running off. She got to the window and smiled as she looked down at the earth. "Wow." she said in amazement.

"Who are you?" a voice to her right said. Kara looked over to find a girl about her mother's height looking at her. She had blonde hair and wore a black sleeveless shirt with red pants.

"Kara." she said, taking a step backwards.

"Ok, now how did you get up here?" the blonde asked a strong tone in her voice.

"I-I came with my m-m-mom." Kara said pointing over at Artemis.

"Oh you're that Kara," the blonde said kneeling next to the girl. "I'm Cassie, Robin's girlfriend."

"H-hi." Kara said, smiling a little.

"So what brings you to the Watchtower?" Cassie asked.

"My mom." Kara replied simply.

"I mean why are you on the Watchtower." Cassie rephrased.

"I don't know," Kara said with a slight shrug, "We came here after ditching someone that was following us."

"I wonder why they were following you." Cassie said aloud more to herself.

"We think it might have something to do with a watch." Artemis said walking up.

"This one." Kara said pulling it out of her pocket and holding it up.

Cassie blinked a few times before saying. "Looks like a normal pocket watch to me."

"I like the fact that the stone glows when it's near me." Kara said handing it to her mother. "See?"

"And you say my father said it belonged to a friend of his?" Artemis asked as the stones glow dimmed.

Kara nodded saying. "Yeah, some bald guy."

"Which means Luthor is involved somehow." Cassie said, standing up.

"Does this mean we're not getting waffles?" Kara asked looking from her mother to Cassie and back.

"I'll take the watch over to Superman; you two go get something to eat in the cafeteria." Cassie said taking the watch.

"Ok Cassie." Artemis said before picking her daughter up. "Let's go eat, sweetie."

"YAY!" Kara said as he stomach growled.

With that Artemis laughed and carried her little girl out of the room.


	4. Chapter Four: Waffles And Birthdays

Chapter Four

Waffles And Birthdays...

"I'm seriously wondering if you're hollow." Artemis said as she watched her daughter start on her seventh waffle.

Kara swallowed her mouth full before asking, "What do you mean?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why you love waffles so much." Artemis said smiling.

"They're good." Kara replied before taking another bite.

"If you say so." her mother said before taking a drink of her coffee.

"Why do you drink coffee?" Kara asked after a few seconds.

Artemis gave a slight chuckle as she realized her daughter had turned the table on her. "It helps me wake up in the mornings." she said before someone appeared next to the table suddenly. "Hello Bart."

"Hey Artemis," the speedster said pulling up a chair and sitting with them. "Opted to come to the Watchtower for breakfast this morning, huh?"

"Not initially," she said putting her cup down. "We came here after getting chased by some of Luthor's goon squad possibly over a pocket watch."

"You mean the one with the blue kryptonite sample in it?" he asked looking at her.

"What's kryptonite?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Something that can hurt Superman," Artemis said, looking at the speedster. "And what do you mean blue?"

Bart flinched before saying, "Oops, spoilers."

"Start talking Bart or the Flash finds out why Wonder Woman is actually pissed at him." she threatened.

"Blue kryptonite suppresses Superman's powers to the point where he's as human as you and me." he said in a rush.

"I see why some people would want it." she said calmly.

"Well yeah, who wouldn't want a way to shut down his powers?" he said before zipping off to the counter to get an apple and returning in a second.

"So, who's the kid?" he said before taking a bite.

"My daughter, Kara," Artemis said looking at him, "What do you know about her?"

"Just what Kaldur's told me about her." he said with a shrug.

"That's funny, because he hasn't met her yet." Artemis said.

"Did I say Kaldur?" Bart said with a nervous laugh. "I meant Robin."

"Can it Bart," she said placing both her hands on the table and standing up. "What do you know about my daughter?"

"Gotta go, bye." he said before running off in a just of wind.

"Are all boys like that when they get older?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Just that one apparently," Artemis replied sitting back down, "Want another?"

Kara shook her head as she pushed the plate away saying, "I'm full."

"About time." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

Kara stuck her tongue out and said. "Not my fault they were good."

"I'm just teasing." Artemis said before taking the plate over to the trash. As she walked back, she began to wonder if Bart did know something about her daughter.

She didn't have long to dwell on it for she noticed that Virgil was sitting in her chair. "Hey Virgil, what's up?" she asked taking the seat next to her daughter.

"Well other than getting the highest grade in my lit class because of Kara here," he said pulling an envelope out of his jacket. "Robin asked me to give you this."

"Congrats and what's this?" she asked as he handed it to her.

"Not sure, but he said do not let M'gann know what it is," he replied.

"What is it mom?" Kara asked as she watched her mother opened it and pulled out a piece of paper.

"It's your birth certificate." Artemis replied after a few seconds.

"What's a birth certificate?" Kara asked.

Artemis lifted her daughter onto her lap and showed her saying, "It states when and where you were born, see? According to this, you were born on October twenty-second at Central City General Hospital."

"How old is she going to be?" he asked. She rechecked the date said, "She's going to be six tomorrow."

"My birthday's tomorrow?" Kara asked surprised.

"Apparently." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"Whose birthday is tomorrow?" M'gann asked as she sat down next at the table.

"Mine," Kara said looking at the Martian. "But why did Robin say not to tell you?"

"M'gann's the resident birthday enthusiast out of everyone here," Virgil answered, "Granted she does go a little overboard at times."

"Excuse me, for your information, I do not go overboard." M'gann said.

"Remember when Gar turned fifteen?" Artemis asked.

"Do I want to know?" Virgil asked looking from one to the other.

"No. You don't," M'gann said before her eyes glowed green for a second, "And you are not telling him via the link, Artemis."

"Now I really want to know what happened." Virgil said.

"What are you guys talking about?" a tall, dark skinned, male asked as he walked up.

"Gar's fifteenth birthday party, Mal," Artemis said with a slight laugh.

The teen laughed a little before saying, "Still trying to figure out if what you or Nightwing did was funnier."

"Yeah it was f-What do you mean what Nightwing did?" Artemis asked looking at him.

"You remember that place Gar wanted to go to so bad back then?" Mal asked with a slight smile, "Well, Nightwing took him there. It wasn't until we arrived that we found out it was a strip joint."

"He didn't?" M'gann asked as Virgil started laughing.

"Oh he did," Mal said with a slight chuckle. "The bad part is that Bart tried to sneak Gar inside."

"He did what?" M'gann said getting angry.

"He about pulled it off until some guy walked out and recognized the lot of them," he said looking at her. "Both agreed to never discuss what happened. Granted, it does make it interesting to watch those guys when Green Arrow is around."

The table was quiet for a few seconds before Artemis said. "And I thought her playing a video of Gar in a dress singing 'I feel pretty' because he showed up for a mission brief with her bra on his head was funny."

"He did WHAT?!" Virgil yelled as her and Mal busted out laughing.

"She did and be glad you weren't there," Artemis said after her laughter died down. "It was a massive train wreck."

"It really was," Mal said wiping tears from his eyes.

"And now that you know, you will never mention it again. Right, Virgil?" M'gann asked smiling at him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said before getting up, "I think I'm going to go see if Kaldur has any missions available."

"I don't believe you two told him that." M'gann said once her fellow teammate was out of ear shot.

"At least we didn't tell him what happened after that," Mal said leaning back in his chair, "That alone made it worth it."

"Was it that bad, M'gann?" Kara asked.

"You don't want to know." the Martian said looking away.

"Well if anything, you now have a reason to go kick Nightwing's head in." Mal said.

"Eh, I'll let Barbara take care of my light work." she said smiling,

"I have a birthday party to plan; if you don't mind, Kara."

"But I don't want a party." Kara replied.

"You don't?" Artemis asked as her and the others looked at the young girl. She shook her head before saying, "Not after hearing about her getting drunk."

"I am never doing that again," M'gann muttered as Mal started laughing again. "Ok, so do you want to do, Kara?" Artemis asked.

The young girl thought for a few seconds before saying. "Can we go see grandma?"

"Considering she still needs to meet you, I think that would be a good idea." Artemis replied.

"And get a Halloween costume?" Kara asked hopefully.

"If they haven't sold out of the good ones." Artemis said.

"Thanks mo-." Kara started to say, but stopped as her eyes started to go wide.

"This is either because I brought my daughter here without clearing it or you found something out about that watch." Artemis said as her daughter leaned into her, almost as if trying to hide from something scary.

"Conner explained why you brought her here." she heard an all too familiar voice say, "But we have a bigger problem."

"I hate it when someone says that," Artemis said turning to look at the dark knight, "Especially when it comes from you."

"Whoever was following you circled back to your place and ransacked it." Batman said looking at her, "They didn't get very far when the Flash and Captain Marvel showed up."

"Is Brucely ok?" Kara asked almost in a whisper.

"He's with Flash," he replied turning his attention to the girl, "But the two got away before they could catch them. Captain Marvel was able to hear one of them say something about the watch."

"So Luthor does want it." M'gann said.

"Possibly," the dark knight said shifting his gaze to the Martian. "We're taking a look at it now, but scans are showing that gem is giving off the same energy signature as kryptonite."

"Quick question; how trashed is their place?" Mal asked.

"Fire crews are putting out the place as we speak." Batman answered, "So far, they're reporting minor damage."

"Well that's just great," Artemis muttered, "A new piece of kryptonite is found at the cost of our home."

"And as long as Luthor believes you have that watch he is going to come after you again." Batman said looking at her.

"So are you footing the bill for us to start over?" she asked looking at him.

"You will use one of the League's safe-"

"That's NOT what I asked." she said interrupted.

She carefully got to her feet and sat her daughter in her chair before turning to face the dark knight. "I asked are you footing the bill," she said stepping up to him, "As in clothes, food, a place to stay for me, my daughter, and Brucely; because no matter where you put us, I still have a job and Kara has school. The only way I'm agreeing to this is if we do it my way. Which means you, not Batman, you are paying for anything I need for my family since I may have to quit my job. Up to three members of either the team or the League will go with us if we have to go somewhere. I will home school Kara if I have to in the last place Luthor would ever think of looking for us; which means we house sit for a league member. If you want to say I'm being selfish, then you go right ahead. But understand this; my first and only priority is keeping my daughter safe. If anything happens to her, I'll make you wish you never put on that cowl. Do I make myself clear?"

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Batman said, "I'll make the arrangements."

"I don't believe you just did that." M'gann said quietly as the dark knight walked away.

It wasn't until he had left the room before Artemis slowly sank down onto her knees.

"You ok, mom?" Kara asked a little worried.

"I'm ok, sweetie." her mother said as she slowly stood up.

"I'll say this right now, Artemis," Mal said with a surprised look on his face, "I always knew you were a gutsy chick, but not even I thought you'd stand up to Batman like that and win."

"That makes two of us." she said as Kara hopped out of her chair.

"Do we have to move?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"No, we're just taking a small vacation," Artemis said lifting her daughter back up onto her lap, "We'll be home in no time, don't worry."


	5. Chapter Five: Family Issues

Chapter Five

Family Issues...

Artemis had never liked Gotham. Granted she had grown up there, the city never really felt like home. But the trip to Gotham the day after her little outburst was one of the more entertaining ones to say the least. From the time she, Kara, and their "bodyguards" arrived in the city via the Zeta tubes till they had gotten to her mother's, the blonde couldn't help but smile as her daughter had asked one simple question of their bodyguards. It wasn't so much the reaction to the question, but what had caused Kara to ask it after. Even now as they sat in the living room of her mother apartment, she was still trying not to laugh.

"Mind telling me what is so funny?" Paula asked.

"It's kind of a long story." Artemis replied as she gently stroked her daughter's hair.

"I just wanted to know why Babs kept said 'less' after one of us said her friend's name." Kara said looking at her grandmother.

"He probably made her mad again." a red haired man named Roy said from the one chair.

"Then why does she hang around him?" she asked.

"I've been asking myself the same question for a while now." Barbara said from her seat on the couch with a sigh.

"So how exactly did your friend make you mad?" Paula asked.

"Well we had planned on going to see a movie today." Barbara said looking over at her hostess, "But I got a call from him last night saying he has a lead on a case and has to cancel However…. right as he went to hang up, I heard a female voice telling him to come back to bed."

"No wonder you've been calling him that." Roy said after a few seconds silence.

"Granted that are 'nicer' things I could call him." Barbara muttered.

"But you won't say them because there is a child present, right?" Artemis asked looking at her friend.

"Wouldn't dream of it, unlike some people." Barbara said as all eyes turned to look at Roy.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" he wondered aloud before the front door opened.

"Hey mom, sorry I'm late." a woman said as she walked in carrying a young child, "Traffic was bru-tal." The woman slowly looked at each person in the room before asking, "Is this supposed to be some sort of intervention?"

"No, Jade; just introducing someone to the family." Artemis said with a slight smile.

"Oh really, and just who might that be?" Jade asked walking over to her husband.

Kara slowly raised her hand and softly said, "H-hi Jade."

"You're the kid dad was watching for Luthor." Jade said looking at the little girl. "What are you do here?"

"This 'kid' is my biological daughter, Jade." Artemis said, glaring at her sister.

"Jade, what do you know about this?" Roy asked.

"Enough to know that my father is a dead man if I mention how he treated that little girl," she said handing the child in her arms to her husband.

"Let me guess; he tried to do to her what he did to us." Artemis said coldly.

"Yeah, but if Kara's with you then he didn't succeed." Jade replied as she sat on the arm of the chair, "If I had known she was yours; I never would've left her with him, Artemis."

"But you didn't know," Artemis said looking at her sister, "Heck, I didn't even know until dad got arrested."

"Oh he didn't get arrested, he was double crossed." Jade said with a slight smile, "Luthor's assistant was playing the role of Kara's foster mother and turned him into the Feds."

"Why did she do that?" Barbara asked.

"It was because of some pocket watch," Jade replied. "Dad was supposed to hand it over once he got it, but he got greedy."

"What's so special about that watch?" Roy asked.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "As soon as I found out a kid was involved, I didn't want anything to deal with him. I do feel bad about leaving her there."

Kara got up from her seat and walked over before giving Jade a hug and said, "I forgive you."

"Thanks, kid." Jade said returning her nieces hug.

"Don't call me kid." Kara said before releasing the hug.

"Anyway, why are you all here?" Jade asked.

"Kara wanted to meet her grandmother for her birthday." Artemis replied with a smile,

"And by the looks of it, she also got to meet her aunt, uncle and cousin as well." Jade was quiet for a few seconds before looking at her sister and said. "Don't ever play poker against your daughter."

"You taught her that?" Artemis asked a little surprised.

"Taught her what?" Barbara asked.

"Jade knows how to shuffle a deck so she can get a royal flush when playing against four other people," Roy said with a slight chuckle, "Say Artemis, would you and Kara like to come over the next time I play cards with some of the others?"

"That depends," his sister in-law said with a slight smile, "Who normally shows up?"

He smiled as he said, "Only Oli, Barry, Grayson, and Jordan; you in?"

"I'll think about it," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Who's Grayson?" Jade asked looking at Barbara.

"Dick." the redhead said looking at the girl.

"Less." Kara said smiling.

"Kara!" Artemis said before her and the others started laughing.

"Oh I like her." Jade said after a few seconds.

"She's easy to like," Roy said before slowly standing up. "…And this one needs a diaper change."

"Have fun with that." Artemis said before they heard someone's stomach growl.

"Sorry." Kara said turning a little red before sitting back on the couch.

"It's ok, Kara." Paula told her grandchild with a smile, "I'll go see about getting dinner started."

"Mind if I help?" Barbara asked.

"I don't mind." Paula said before wheeling herself into the kitchen.

"Can I go watch?" Kara asked.

"Go ahead, I need to talk to Jade about something." Artemis said as Barbara and Roy left the room.

She waited until Kara was in the kitchen before asking, "Have you been in contact with dad lately?"

"He's been trying to convince me to break him out of jail almost every day." Jade replied sliding into her husband's vacant seat.

"Why? Did something happen?" Artemis was silent for a few moments before stating what happened the day before.

"Luthor must want that watch bad if he's willing to do that." Jade said after a few seconds thought.

"The League is taking a look at it now." Artemis said looking out one of the windows.

"But you're worried about something else." Jade stated.

"I'm not letting him near Kara." Artemis said coldly.

"She is a great kid." Jade stated leaning back in the chair. "Really loves to read. I think she was reading Shakespeare the last time I saw her."

"She finished that two nights after she moved in with me." Artemis said with a slight smile, "We just started the Lord of the Rings series last week. Her reaction to The Twilight Saga was actually really funny."

"What did she do?" Jade asked as Roy walked back in.

Artemis's smile widened as she said, "She checked out Dracula from the school's library three weeks ago. She had it read in two days. Well the librarian suggested Twilight if she likes vampire books. So Kara checked it out that day and returned it the following day. The librarian asked her if she was already done with it. She told her no and that Jacob was a failed Dracula knock off. One of the older students heard what she said that and started going off about how great Jacob is. When she got done with her rant; Kara told her Jacob was a bigger stalker then Santa Claus and vampires don't sparkle in the sun, they burn."

"She's right if you actually think about it." Roy said taking a seat on the couch.

"About the vampire burning part, or Santa Claus being a stalker?" Jade asked.

"Both." Artemis and Roy said together.

"Yeah, that's the bad part." Jade said before Barbara walked in.

"Hey Roy, Paula needs you to make a food run for everyone. Her stove died apparently." she said looking at him.

"She really needs to see about a new stove." he said putting his daughter down.

"I thought the maintenance guy was supposed to come fix it." Artemis said as her mother and daughter entered the room.

"He has for the past three weeks." Paula said with a sigh, "He does a patch job and that's it."

"May have to have a talk with that guy…." Roy said before walking towards the front door, "What does everybody want?"

"How about we let the birthday girl decide?" Barbara asked looking at Kara.

The young girl was quiet for a few seconds before saying. "Fish sounds good to me."

"In that case, I know what to get." Roy said before heading out the door.

"And I'll go see if the stove and be saved while he's out." Barbara said before heading back into the kitchen.

Kara walked over and sat next to her mom as Paula asked. "So how's school been?"

"I like it." Kara said looking at her grandmother, "I really like my teacher."

"Suck up." Artemis said with a smirk.

"But it's true," the girl said looking at her mother.

"Who's your teacher?" Jade asked watching the exchange between the two.

"My mom." Kara replied with a smile.


	6. Chapter Six: Powers

Chapter Six

Powers...

The damage caused from the fire was nothing more the structural and would easily be fixed within a few days. Until the repairs were complete, Artemis and Kara were put up in a local hotel. The room itself was nice and the place did allow pets, which was a major plus in Kara's book. But what really made the place worthwhile was she didn't have to move like she thought they might have too. When they were able to finally go home, it didn't even look as if a fire had happened.

Yet ever since checking into the hotel, the young girl had started to feel a little off. She didn't give it much thought at first. But she walked with the rest of her class to gym a few days later; she was getting that feeling stronger than ever.

"You ok, Kara?" one of her friends asked noticing she seemed to acting a little weird.

"My eyes hurt a little, Rachel." Kara said blinking a few times, "I'll be fine."

She gave her head a slight shake and smiled as her eyes stopped hurting.

"So have you figured out what you're going as for Halloween?" Rachel asked.

"A friend of my mom's is making me a costume." Kara replied as they entered the gym, "What about you?"

"I'm thinking about going as Batgirl." Rachel was able to say before the heard a whistle starting class.

Once the class was done stretching, the teacher placed three red balls along the center line of the gym, before saying, "Afternoon everyone; hope you guys don't mind, but I thought today would be a good day to play dodgeball." Kara smiled as the rest of the class let out a small cheer.

"Alright then; ladies go ahead and sit this one out. Boys, you're up first." the teacher said smiling.

As Kara walked over to the wall, that feeling started to hit again. But it was different this time. Before it was just her eyes that hurt, now she felt dizzy.

"You sure you're ok?" Rachel asked a little worried.

"I think I better sit down." Kara said softly as they reached the wall. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor as she closed her eyes.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse's office." Rachel said sitting next to her friend.

"I don't want to, but I think I might." Kara said as she let out a slow breathe.

She opened her eyes after a few seconds and looked across the gym. The far wall seemed to disappear as her eyes focused on it. "How?" she asked in a hushed tone as she watched a green cat sitting in the bushes. She blinked a few times and gave her head a slight shake.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Rachel asked watching her.

"I-I'm not sure." Kara said looking at the wall to see it was there, "I think I better head to the office." She started to stand up but stopped as something came crashing through the one wall.

All action stopped as everyone looked over to see a muscle bound male teen standing next to a woman wearing punk style clothing in a freshly made hole in the wall. "Well looky here, sister Tuppence," the one male said with a Cajun accent. "Looks like we found ourselves a bunch of little ankle bitters."

"And all we need is one of them, Tommy." Tuppence said as she started walking towards the children, "Now why don't you all be a bunch of good little brats and do as we say. This won't take long at all."

She pulled a strange device out of her pocket as one of the students said, "You're the Terror Twins."

"Ah look Tommy, one of them knows who we are." she said smiling.

"I think you two need to leave now." the teacher said stepping forward.

"Are you going to make us, old man?" Tommy asked with a laugh.

"Oh he won't." a voice said from the opening, "But we will." All eyes turned to see a green boy standing next to Superboy and Miss Martian.

"Seriously, they sent the minor league team after us." Tommy said with a laugh.

"Guess again." a voice said as Tuppence staggered backwards.

Kara's eyes widened as she saw the one known as Tigress standing in front of her. "You're not touching these kids," the heroine clad in black and orange said as she drew her sword.

"This isn't even going to be a warm up." Tommy said cracking his knuckles.

"Don't count on it." Superboy said before rushing forward.

The world seemed to slow down as Kara got to her feet. 'What is going on?' she thought looking around.

She looked towards the entrance to see the gym teacher motioning for her.

"Right," she whispered before something slammed into the wall next to her. She spun around to see Tigress pinned by the female Terror Twin.

"You talk pretty big for someone with no powers." Tuppence said as she tightened her grip on the heroine's throat.

"Ever think….. that's because…. we're the distraction," Tigress managed to say as she tried to kick free. The masked heroine slowly looked down to her left and into the eyes of the young girl.

"Run." she said weakly pointing towards the girl's teacher. Kara's eyes widened as Tigress's mask seemed to vanish for a brief second to show her mother's face.

"Let her go!" she yelled as she rushed forward and threw everything she had into a punch aimed at the twin's knee.

The sound of bones shattering echoed throughout the room followed by a loud scream. Tuppence released her hold on Tigress's neck as the two fell to the ground. As Tigress tried to catch her breath, she looked over to see the female Terror Twin holding her right knee.

"How?" she managed to ask Kara before Tuppence was kicked across the room by the young girl.

"Tuppence!" Tommy yelled before turning his attention towards Kara.

She raised her right hand towards him and motioned for him to bring it as she said, "Let's dance."

He dodged one of Superboy's punches before rushing the little girl. His fist was about to connect with the little body when he was blasted backwards via an energy blast. The others could only watch as the twin was sent flying through the air and landed hard fifty feet away.

"That's for wrecking my school." she said before looking towards Tigress. She zipped over to the heroine lightning quick and asked, "Are you ok?"

Tigress could only stair at the girl as she asked. "How did you?"

"Honestly, I have no…idea." Kara said before collapsing into the heroine's arms.

"Kara, are you ok?" she heard Tigress calling out as her eyes slowly closed.

"Tired." she replied softly before she succumbed to the darkness threatening her vision and mind.

Somewhere Unknown

"Dang kid; that was some show you put on."

Kara heard someone say. "Who?" she said as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and slowly looked around to find she was no longer at her school, but in a field of floors.

"In case you're wondering, you're not dead," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to see a man with red hair about her mother's age sitting a few feet away from her.

"Where am I?" she asked turning to face him.

"Physically, you're on the way to STAR Labs courteously of the Flash." the man said smiling, "It's because of that I'm able to talk to you from the Speed Force. I'm Wally."

"My mom's said your name a few times." she said.

"And who's your mom?" he asked.

"Her names Artemis." she replied watching him.

"I see." he said as his smile seemed to fade.

"Don't be sad, it's a crazy story…but um, I hope you don't mind me asking…..if I'm not dead then where am I?" she asked.

His smiled returned before saying, "Basically, you're dreaming; but I do have a message for you. Tell the League what Luthor wants is behind the gem."

"What is it?" she asked a little puzzled.

"It would take too long to explain, and our times up." he said with a slight sigh, "It's time for you to wake up."

"Ok. Will I see you again?" she asked.

"You never know." he said before standing up. "Be sure to tell the League that message."

"I will," she said getting to her feet.

"You look a lot like your mother." he said before turning and walking away. "Oh, and tell your mom she'll always be my spitfire."

"I will." she said, waving at his retreating form, "Bye Wally." He gave a slight wave before disappearing in a bright light.

Bright light filled her eyes as she slowly awoke. She groaned and blinked a few times till her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Mom." she called out softly as she started to look around.

Her mind started to register that she was in some sort of hospital when he heard the door open. She looked over to see a man in a red suit enter.

"Hey, you're awake." he said walking over. "You gave your mom a pretty big scare passing out like that."

"You're the Flash." she said softly as she started to remember the message from her dream, "I have something to tell you."

"No offense; but you better make it quick." he said sitting on the bed next to her, "Artemis should be here any minute."

"I was told to tell you that what Luthor wants is behind the gem." she said.

"And where did you find this out?" he asked.

"Wally told me." she said before the door burst open.

They looked over to see Artemis standing there with tears running down her face.

"Hi mom." Kara said softly. The blonde walked over and carefully pulled her daughter into a gentle hug.

"Are you ok?" she asked leaning back to look at her.

"I'm tired, thirsty and hungry." Kara said softly with a weak smile.

"I'll go get her something." Flash said before disappearing in a gust of wind.

"I was so scared that I lost you." Artemis said as she started to cry again. "How were you even able to do that stuff?"

"I'm sorry." Kara said as tears started to fill her eyes, "I saw her trying to hurt you and wanted her let you go."

"Well don't do it again until we can find out what all you can do, ok?" her mother asked before lightly kissing her forehead.

"I won't." Kara replied as she smiled, "I did have a nice dream."

"And you can tell me about it after Flash gets back with something for you to eat." Artemis said.

She shifted so she was sitting next to her daughter and said. "Just so you know, everyone made it out ok, and schools closed due to the damage caused."

"What are you going to do about a job?" Kara asked before the Flash suddenly appeared holding a pizza box.

"I thought this might be good since your mother hasn't eaten yet either." he said placing it on the cart and flipped the box open before moving it over to the bed.

"Thank you." Kara said softly. She slowly started to lift her arm before it dropped back to the bed.

"Here, let me." Artemis said taking a slice and holding it for her daughter.

"Thanks mom." Kara said before taking a bite.

"Well while you eat, I'm going to let you know what all has happened." The Flash said sitting in a chair. "Artemis has probably already told you about your school and classmates. But I think you might be more interested in the twins."

"I was just about to tell her when you got here." Artemis said as her daughter took another bite.

"Then allow me." he said with a slight nod. "No one is exactly sure how, but your classmates are saying that someone resembling your teacher dropped the twins hard. Tuppence's right knee is completely shattered and she has three broken ribs. Her brother was hit with some sort of energy blast that sent him threw at least seven cars."

"They shouldn't have gone after my mom and class then." Kara said after swallowing, her voice sounding a little stronger.

"I also relayed that message you gave me while I was waiting on your pizza." he said leaning back in his chair. "The Atom found something. He's not sure what yet, but he'll let me know."

"What message?" Artemis asked.

"Kara said Wally told her to tell the League that what Luthor wants is under the gem." Flash said after a few seconds.

Kara nodded before looking at her mother and said, "He also told me to tell you that you'll always be his spitfire."

'H-how did you?" Artemis asked surprised.

"It's kind of a long story." Kara said.


	7. Chapter Seven: Genetic Cocktail

Chapter Seven

Genetic Cocktail...

Almost a week has passed sense the school attack and while some question had been answered, new ones had presented themselves. The biggest question on everyone's mind was about Kara and her abilities. Just from what the girl had said and shown during that fight; she appeared to have x-ray vision, super strength, speed, and be able to fire an energy blast. But in order to fully understand what all she could do; Artemis agreed to let her daughter undergo some test with the staff at STAR Labs.

Unfortunately, this seemed to cause a relapse in the girl's behavior. She started to become as distant as she was when the two had first met. Soon the laughter that Artemis had gotten used to had disappeared for Kara barely talked and withdrew into her books. After three days of silence, Artemis decided to do something about it.

She knocked on her daughter's door and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Kara said never looking up from her book.

Artemis walked over and sat on the bed before saying, "I feel like I need to apologize to you. I'm not what you call the world's greatest mother."

"I'm a freak." Kara whispered as a tear slid down her cheek.

Artemis looked at her daughter and asked, "Who told you that?"

"The man on TV," Kara said slowly closing her book, "He said all people with powers, like mine, are freaks."

"And that man is a bigot," Artemis said before pulling the young girl into a hug.

"What's a bigot?" Kara asked.

Artemis didn't know how to answer at first. "well…..did dad ever watch any movies that had men in white sheets or that talked about hating a certain group of people?"

"Actually, I've seen the man that called me a freak over the news before in person. He visited my foster dad before one time."

"Okay, I'll store that away for later, but you're not a freak. You're my daughter and I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

"I love you too, mom." Kara said as she buried her face into her mother's shoulder and cried. Her arms slowly wrapped around Artemis' waist as all her pent up emotions came pour out. After what felt like hours, she leaned back and wiped her eyes.

"Feel better?" Artemis asked calmly.

Kara nodded and said, "Yeah, and you're the best mom I've ever had."

"Thanks, sweetie," Artemis said smiling, "I called STAR Labs and told them we're taking the weekend off. So it'll be just the two of us. No tests, just whatever we want to do."

"Like stay home and watch a movie?" Kara asked.

"Maybe," Artemis said after a seconds thought, "I mean we still have to go pick up your costume from my mom. That is, unless you don't want to go to the Halloween Party tomorrow."

Kara shook her head as she said with a smile, "What are you talking about, OF COURSE I still want to go."

"Then how about we go meet my mom for lunch then stop and get some movies on the way home?" Artemis asked as she heard the doorbell, "I'll get the door, you get dressed." She kissed the girl's forehead before heading to answer the door.

"Hold your horses," she called out as the doorbell rang again. She opened the door and was surprised to see familiar faces. "Uh, hey mom, Barry, what are you two doing here?" she asked taking a step back.

"Kara's costume, STAR Labs results, the school incident a few days ago, and I thought someone might want to see her grandmother." Barry said as the two entered.

"Are you two ok?" Paula asked, looking at her daughter.

"We're ok, mom." Artemis said before closing the door. "We actually were going to go see if you wanted to have lunch with us today."

"I guess it's a good thing I went and got her for you then." Barry said.

"Thanks Barry," she said before Kara flew into the room holding a sock.

"Hey mom, do you know where my other sock is?" she asked floating in midair.

"If it's not in your dresser, check your laundry basket." Artemis said calmly.

"She's flying?" Barry asked as he watched the girl fly back down the hall, "Since when can she fly?"

"Probably sense she's been able to do the other stuff," Artemis said before sitting on the couch, "And in coming."

Before anyone could ask, the young girl zipped into the room and latched onto her grandmother saying, "Grandma! What are you doing here?"

Paula hugged the little girl saying, "Well I thought I'd come for a visit and drop off your costume."

"Hey Kara, why don't you show grandma your room while Barry and I talk for a few, ok?" Artemis asked.

"Ok, hi Barry," Kara said before wheeling her grandmother down the hall.

Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "What do you find out?"

"According to STAR Labs; Kara's meta gene was spliced together from other heroes." Barry said sitting on the couch, "So far she has Superman's x-ray vision and flight, Wonder Woman strength, my speed, and possibly another they can't confirm."

"How is that possible?" she asked.

"That's where it gets complicated," he said leaning back against the couch, "The clinic you donated at tried to help a couple that was having problems conceiving. They used one of your eggs with a sample from what they thought was him. It was actually from CADMUS when they were trying to create their own Justice League. The sample was from a raid on their one lab seven years ago."

Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Wait a minute. The team was formed seven years ago."

"When Superboy was freed from CADMUS by Nightwing, Aqualad, and….Kara's father." Barry said looking at the blonde.

Her eyes widen as she slowly looked down the hall and asked with an unsteady voice, "You mean Kara is….?"

"We ran a DNA test and confirmed it," Barry said with a nod, "She is Wally's daughter."

She was quiet for a few minutes before a single tear slid down her cheek as she calmly said, "I've never told anyone this, not even Kara, but Wally used to call me his spitfire. He said it was because I never let him get away with anything." She looked at the speedster as her tears fell unchecked and asked, "How did she know he called me that?"

"I honestly don't know, Artemis," he said watching her, "According to her, he was talking to her from the Speed Force in her dream."

"What is the Speed Force?" she asked.

"It's where us speedster's get our power," he said solemnly, "It's a realm of pure energy. In order for us to enter it, we have to run to the point we become part of it. I honestly wondered if Wally become part of it that day. I'm not even sure if there's a way to come back from it."

"He'll find a way," Artemis said with a slight smile, "Stop and think, with all the times he basically blew himself up, did something that made us think he was dead, or just him being Wally. He always came home, and I know he'll be back someday."

"You do have a point," he said with a laugh.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before she asked, "Did you ever find anything out about that pocket watch?"

"Two things actually," he said with a sigh, "The first being that is runs off the energy generated by a speedster. We found this out because it stopped five minutes after she handed it over and started ticking once every forty seconds when either Bart or I picked it up. For some odd reason; Kara is constantly generating an electric field. It's not strong enough to trash a computer anything like that, but it starts to affect her if it builds up too much."

"That energy blast she hit Tommy Terror with." she said, thinking back to the battle at school.

"Exactly," he replied before glancing towards the hall, "The second thing we found was thanks to Wally's message. There was a microchip hidden behind that kryptonite shard. It had the plans to some sort of portal like the Zeta tubes."

"That would be bad," she said before Kara flew into the room laugh and hide behind her mother's chair.

"Sounds like someone's having fun," Barry said as Paula wheeled herself into the room.

"What are you doing to my kid, mom?" Artemis asked looking at her mother.

"Your daughter is ticklish," Paula said with a smile.

The blonde slowly turned her gaze towards the young girl and smiled saying, "Oh really?"

Kara started to take a step backwards when they heard a stomach growl. "The curse of a speedster," Barry said patting his stomach, "If you ladies don't mind, I'm going to treat you all to lunch."

"Well thank you, Barry," Paula said looking at him.

"Don't mention it," he said getting up. "Now, what would you all like? And please don't say Ollie's chili."

"Why, I love chili?" Kara asked giving him a puzzled look.

"Because that stuff is almost too hot for Superman." he replied.

"I'd believe it." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"Okay, but I don't want Chinese." Kara said.

"Not a fan?" Barry asked.

"More like my father turned her against it, he thought it was his specialty." Artemis explained before pulling her daughter up onto her lap, "I do now this one's been wanting chicken for a while though."

"Then I know just the place. Back in a flash." Barry said before speeding from the room.

Artemis let out a low sigh as she watched the papers Barry had brought scatter around the room from the burst of wind and said sarcastically, "I am so glad I don't leave papers out."


	8. Chapter Eight: The Fall of Grayson

Chapter Eight

The Fall of Grayson...

M'gann was only partially right about the Flash museum's Halloween Party. Central City had decided to hold a special trunk or treat event that day in the parking lot. While most of the area residents had shown up and were handing out candy, some of the area businesses where giving away freebies and other items for the children.

As Artemis wandered through the crowd with her daughter, she couldn't help but notice all that most of the children were dressed as League members. But out of all the costumes she saw, she honestly thought Kara's was the best.

The young girl had decided to go as her mother's hero persona, Tigress. While a sense of pride had come over the blonde during that moment when her daughter had made her decision, something she hadn't expected was to be conned into dressing up in her old gear minus. While most of the weapons Kara was carrying were props unlike her mother's; the tracking device that was built into each costume's belts was real. At first Artemis wasn't sure it was necessary, but she was glad she had changed her mind when she saw the crowd that day.

'I wonder how many people showed up today.' she thought.

She looked over at Kara and smiled as the girl walked towards her.

"Looks like you two are having tons of fun." they heard a voice say.

"Only as much as legally allowed here." Artemis said looking to her right and seeing an old friend, "Hey Zee."

"Hey Artemis," the magician said with a slight smirk, "Who's your protégé?"

"My daughter, Kara," Artemis said with a hint of pride in her voice, "Kara, this is Zee. She's an old friend."

Kara gave a slight wave as the PA system kicked on. "We here at the Flash Museum would like to that everyone for coming out today," everyone heard a man say, "As many of you have heard, we will be having a costume contest going on throughout the day. We will be announcing our first winner for the adults at the top of the hour."

"Mom will win," Kara said after the man was finished talking.

"And what makes you think that?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

"Well, you're the only grown up here in a costume," Kara replied looking at her mother, "So you should win at least something."

"She does have a point." Zatanna said looking around and noticing her friend was the only adult wearing a costume.

"I guess I win by default," Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"So how's life since becoming a parent?" Zatanna asked as the three of them walked through the parking lot.

"Challenging at times," Artemis replied waking her daughter's hand in hers, "Especially when it comes to getting a certain one out of bed for school."

"Oh really, cause If I remember right, you never were a morning person," Zatanna said.

"She still isn't," Kara said with a slight smile.

"Tattletale," the blonde archer said looking at her daughter before the two started giggling, "Actually, we're both pretty bad at getting up some days. But I love every second as much as I love Kara. Anyway, how's the rest of the old team?"

"They're doing great," Zatanna said as they stopped at a booth, "Granted Bart has a tendency of getting on everyone's nerves."

"And this surprises you?" Kara asked after getting handed an envelope.

"It doesn't," the magician replied with a shrug, "What did you get?"

"A gift card probably," Artemis said being handed the envelope, "Gotten about five of these now. Otherwise, she's been making out like a bandit when it comes to the candy."

"Well, she's a cute kid. Of course she's going to get a ton of candy," Zatanna said before she noticed someone standing at one of the booths, "And I think I found the perfect person to prove my point with."

Artemis looked over and saw one of the founding members of the team standing at a booth for Wayne Enterprises. "We are going to need to record this for Barbara," she said looking at her friend with an evil look in her eyes.

"I thought you might say that," Zatanna said pulling a camera out of her purse, "So what do we do?"

"You'll see," Artemis said before looking down at her daughter, "Hey Kara, do you see the guy at the Wayne Enterprises booth talking to that redhead?"

The young girl nodded before asking, "Do you know him?"

"That's Barbara's one friend," Artemis said kneeling next to her daughter, "You know, Dick?"

"Less," Kara replied instantly with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Yeah, him," Artemis said a slight laugh, "Want to help get even with him for hurting Barbara?"

"On it," the young girl said walking towards the booth without any prompting.

"And I'm recording," Zatanna said quietly.

Kara felt a little nervous as she walked up to her mother's friend. Trying to stay calm, she lightly tugged on his pants and shyly said, "E-excuse me."

"Hang on, Kori," Dick said before looking down at the little girl, "Oh, hi there, little one." Kara took a deep breathe before looking up at him slowly. She held her bag open as she looked at him with almost a scared look and softly said, "T-trick or treat."

He smiled at her before kneeling in front of her and said, "And who are you dressed up like?"

"Tigress," she said softly.

"And by the looks of it you're the only one here," he said before reaching behind the booth.

"It's ok," she said just as soft as before, "Not a lot of people know about her." He pulled out from behind the booth and put it in her bag before whispering, "She is cool though. But not as cool as Nightwing." "He's a tool," she said closing her bag. He gave a slight laugh before asking, "And what makes you say he's a tool?"

"Because my mom met him one time and says he has an ego that is bigger than G Gordon Godfrey, Luthor, and Jupiter's combined/" she replied.

"Let's agree to disagree," he said after a few seconds thought.

She gave a slight nod before saying, "Ok, thank you daddy."

Kara quickly covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes went wide.

"You have a daughter, Dick?" Kori asked walking over.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Kara started saying as she tried not to cry, "I forgot. I'm sorry."

Dick blinked a few times as he looked from the young girl to his friend tried to speak.

"Forget what, little one?" Kori asked kneeling in front of the little girl.

Kara looked down at the ground and said, "I'm not supposed to call him daddy in public."

"Richard Grayson!" Artemis howled as she came walking up, "Would you quit making our daughter feel like she's nothing?"

"Excuse me, but are you this little girl's mother?" Kori asked looking at the blonde.

"Yes, I am. I'm Artemis," the archer replied holding out her hand to the redhead, "And I take it you're Barbara."

"No, I'm Kori," Kori replied slowly looking at Dick, "Who's Barbara?"

"The girl he left me for," Artemis said before turning her attention to her old friend, "Is this who you broke off you date with Barbara last weekend for?"

"And why you never came to my birthday party last week?" Kara asked before hugging her mother.

"You missed your child's birthday?" Kori said sounding upset.

That phrase seemed to snap Dick back to his senses for he suddenly said, "That's not my kid!"

Artemis slapped him across his face and yelled, "How dare you say that? You promised me we would always be together! Why don't you go back to Blüdhaven were you belong?" A second slap was heard as Kori slapped Grayson across the other side of his face before saying, "Your nickname suits you! I don't see why you even call yourself a man when you won't take care of your own! We're through Dick!"

"Less!" Kara yelled before punching him in the hip, only to have her fist connect with his groin as he turned at the last second.

He let out a gasp before falling to his knees in pain.

"Come on, Kara. Let's go enjoy the rest of the event before going home to throw you father's stuff out," Artemis said picking her daughter up.

"Ok mom," the young girl said before burying her face in to her shoulder.

She carried her daughter over to where Zatanna was hiding before saying, "Nice job, Kara."

"Seriously, you did a great job," Zatanna said smiling, "I was able to get every second saved for prosperity. Or at least till Babs sees this."

"Can we go home?" Kara asked with a slight sob.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

The young girl slowly lifted her face and wiped the tears from her eyes before saying, "He said he wasn't my father."

"I'm going to go so you two can talk," Zatanna mouthed before walking away. "Mom, do I have a dad?" Kara asked.

"His name was Wally," Artemis said looking into her daughter's eyes, "He was very smart and an idiot at the same time, but he was my idiot."

"Like the Wally in my dream that time?" Kara asked.

"The same," Artemis said as she walked over to a bench and sat down so Kara was in her lap, "And I know it was Wally because he was the only person that would call me his spitfire."

"What happened to him?" Kara asked.

"He sacrificed himself to save a lot of people," Artemis said as tears started to well up in her eyes, "How about I tell you about him when I tuck you in tonight?"

Kara nodded before giving her mother a hug and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie," the blonde replied giving her daughter a tight hug.

They sat there for a few minutes before Artemis loosened her hug and asked, "You ok?"

Kara wiped a tear from her eyes and said, "Yeah, but I think I'm ready to go home."

"I think that might be a good idea," Artemis said before they heard the PA system kick on. "All right folks, it's time to announce our first winner," the announcer said, "For best adult female superheroine and winner of a day with one of the Green Lanterns from the Justice League: Artemis!"

"Told you," Kara said with a giggle.

Artemis sighed… "Well, that's good enough, not many knew about Artemis the covert team's archer."

"It's alright, I know, and your daddy can't STAND when you and he fought." Kara said with a smile.

"Well, let me grab my prize and we'll head home." Artemis said and with that the two headed over to the prize booth.


	9. Chapter Nine: Going Green for Halloween

Chapter Nine

Going Green for Halloween...

The damage done to the gym from the Terror Twin wasn't as bad as originally thought, so classes were back in session come Tuesday. As special treat for her students, Artemis had asked two league members to visit the school on that day. It also allowed them to fulfill their obligation to her for winning a prize at the Flash museum; effectively killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. The day itself had been set up so each class would have the last two hours to have a small party to end the day. After clearing it with the principal, it was at that point Artemis's special guest would arrive.

In all honesty; Artemis couldn't help but feel like a kid in a candy store. Not just because of wanting to see her student's reaction, but Kara's for the young girl had yet to meet either of the lanterns. She glanced over at the clock and smiled as it hit the time.

'Showtime,' she thought looking at her students. "So, you all ready to have a little fun?" she asked smiling. The class voiced their agreement as they heard a knock on the door.

"Then go ahead and put your books away." she said knowing her surprise had just arrived, "Tommy, would you please get the door?"

As the rest of the class did as they were told, one of the boys in the back row wen over and opened the door. "Uh, Ms. Crock, it's for you." Tommy said a little nervously.

"Actually, he's here to see all of you." Artemis said and was surprised to see two league members enter the room, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet one of the Green Lanterns and Rocket from the Justice League."

The class sat in aw for a few seconds before one of the boys asked, "Are you two really from the Justice League?"

"That's right," Green Lantern said, looking at the student, "Your teacher was conned into going to an event in Central City and won a day with us. So she asked if we could come today to meet you all."

"My brother is going to be so jealous." one of the girls said as her cell went off.

"Jessie, that better not be a phone call." Artemis said looking at the girl.

"No Ms. Crock, it's a text from my brother." the girl said putting her phone on silent.

"Oh really, what does he say?" Artemis asked walking over.

Jessie checked the message before saying, "Just that his teacher paid for pizza and they are going to be watching a movie."

"Where's your brother at?" Rocket asked with a slight grin.

"In the fifth grade classrooms on the third floor." Jessie replied putting her phone away.

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Artemis asked looking at the league member.

"Fly her up to his classroom so she can get a picture of his reaction to us being here?" Green Lantern asked as he used his ring to place a small bag of candy on each desk, "Or have a few other league members pop into each classroom and say hi to everyone?"

"Personally, I think she should get her brothers reaction." Rocket remarked.

"You have five minutes." Artemis said looking at her student with a smile as she pointed at the door, "And I want to see his reaction." The class laughed as the young girl left the room with Rocket, happy as could be.

The mood in the classroom took on a lively tone as for the next couple hours. Each of the students asked both members different questions and they were also surprised to see some of the other league members arrive.

As the school day was coming to an end, Rocket decided to turn the tables saying, "There is a question I would like answered before class lets out. Ms. Crock, didn't you say that one of your students recently celebrated a birthday?"

Artemis smiled before saying, "Kara did back on the twenty second of this month."

"I see," Green Lantern said smiling, "And which one is Kara?"

"She's the one turning red and trying to figure out how to climb inside her desk," she replied pointing towards her daughter. Kara sank low in her seat as she turned even redder as Green Lantern turned to look at her.

"Other than happy late birthday, we do have something for you." Rocket said as her fellow league member walked over and knelt next to the young girl's desk. He held up a necklace with a blue crystal attached to it before saying, "This crystal comes from a planet in my sector of space. It will absorb light so it can light a person's way in the darkness."

"It looks like the gem on my old pocket watch," Kara said looking at the crystal.

"Is that so?" he asked with a gentle smile, "I've noticed that some gems and crystals on this world look like ones from other worlds."

He placed the necklace in the young girl's hand as Kara said, "Thank you." He stood up as the final bell rang for the day.

"Have a happy Halloween and don't eat too much candy," Artemis said as her students got up and started to gather their things to leave.

Once the last student left, Artemis walked over and said, "Thanks for coming you two. But I thought it was only supposed to be one of the Green Lanterns."

"Other than you're welcome, I came for a different reason," Rocket said looking at her friend, "The gem in Kara's watch isn't kryptonite. It's the same as the gem in that necklace."

"One of the alien races in my sector uses those types of crystals to absorb excess energy like a storage battery," Green Lantern said as the former team member looked the paper over, "A small one like that was in the watch, or the one in Kara's necklace, could power Metropolis well into the next millennium."

"The league thinks Luthor wanted that crystal to power what was on that microchip," Rocket said.

"Not just that, but Diana wanted to know if Kara knows how to defend herself." Green Lantern said. "I've been teaching her what I know after she finishes her homework." Artemis said.

"You know the League is more than willing to lead a hand if you want." Green Lantern said.

"Which I'm going to need," Artemis said looking over at her daughter, "Kara's already mastered everything I know."

"You can thank Batman for this then," Rocket said pulling out a piece a paper and handing it to her friend, "One of the tests STAR Labs ran was an IQ text at his request. Her IQ is that of a normal six year old, but she has a near identic memory, or photographic as most people call it."

"That explains why she can recite any line from Shakespeare from memory." Artemis said looking the paper over.

"And a lot of the other books I've read." Kara said standing next to her mother.

"I'm just glad she doesn't have her father's speed reading habit," Artemis said looking down at her daughter.

"I'll let Diana know that you want some help training Kara." Green Lantern said before his com-link went off and he reached up to it.

"Thanks and let me guess, duty calls?" Artemis asked looking at him.

"As always," Rocket replied with a slight laugh, "Before we go, Barry wants you to stop by his place with Kara this weekend."

"Let him know we'll be there." Artemis said shifting her gaze to her former teammate, "Now go save the world, or I won't let you see what the two of us did to a certain bat."

"You better show me," Rocket said before her and Green Lantern flew from the room.

"Are you ready to go home?" Artemis asked looking down at her daughter.

"Yeah," Kara said leaning against her mother, "And thanks for today."

"You're welcome," Artemis said. After making sure they had everything, they started walking to the main entrance. As they arrived, Artemis placed a hand on her daughters shoulder and stopped walking. "Is something wrong, mom?" Kara asked.

The blonde was quiet for a few seconds before kneeling next to the young girl and said, "Kara, listen to me; when I tell you to, I want you to fly as fast as you can to where the Zeta tube is and go to the Watchtower. Ok?"

"What's going on?" Kara asked a little frightened.

"I think some of the men that work with my father are outside," Artemis said brushing her daughter's hair back, "They're going to try and grab you; which is why I need you to fly as soon as I tell you too."

Kara looked towards the front doors for a few seconds before saying, "No."

Before Artemis could say a word; the young girl picked her mother up bridal style and took off running, leaving only a gust of wind. The world flew by as Kara ran like never before.

"Wow." She muttered before coming to a stop outside the telephone booth a moment later. "That hurt." she said softly as she sat her mother down.


	10. Chapter Ten: Return to the Watchtower

Chapter Ten

Return to the Watchtower...

For the second time within a month, Kara found herself on the Watchtower. While neither time was for a social visit, this one found her in the medical area. Artemis had taken her there once they arrived after the young girl had collapsed.

"Is she going to be ok, Atom?" Artemis asked impatiently.

The league member looked at her once he finished examining her daughter and said, "The bones in her lower left leg are broken. Why didn't you take her to a hospital or a regular doctor?"

"The League of Shadows was waiting for us outside the school." she said with a sigh.

"So you two ran almost three quarters of a mile to get to the closest Zeta tube?" he asked, a little skeptical.

"No, I ran while carrying my mom." Kara said looking at him.

"Atom, meet the daughter of the original Kid Flash." Artemis said with a hint of pride in her voice.

The Atom looked at the young girl for a few seconds before walking over to a cabinet saying, "While she may have his speed, she doesn't appear to have his accelerated healing. She's going to have to deal with a cast until it heals like normal."

He walked over to the young girl and handed her what looked like a candy bar.

"What's this?" Kara asked looking at it.

"It's a special protein bar that was made for the Flash and any other speedsters," he said smiling, "I figured you're going to want that right about…..now."

Kara let out a slight gasp as her stomach growled loudly. "Thank you." she said before removing the wrapper and beginning to eat it.

"You'll welcome," he said before looking at Artemis, "There's a few more bars in the cupboard if she wants another. Once I get done setting her cast, I'll go let Wonder Woman know you're here and what happened."

"I already know." the amazon princess said as she entered the room. "And I'm sorry to say this, Artemis, you're not going to be able to go home for a while."

"First off, how did you know?" Artemis asked.

"I let them know." a green skinned teenager said stepping out from behind the amazon.

"Is he a Martian?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"It's a long story, sweetie, but thank you Gar." Artemis said with a sigh.

"You're welcome." he said with a slight smile.

"I guess the question now becomes where are we going to stay?" she said sitting in a chair.

"After your little outburst with Batman a few weeks ago and what happened with Kara, I think I might know somewhere you two will be safe." Wonder Woman said.

"And where's that?" Artemis asked.

"It involves staying with one of the league members." the amazon said.

"We are not staying with Captain Marvel." Artemis said.

"You don't want to know." Atom said answering Kara's unasked question.

"You won't be staying with him," Wonder Woman assured them, "I've talked to a few and Conner said you two are more than welcome to stay with him and his folks until this blows over."

"No offense, Wonder Woman, but I'm going to advise against that." Atom said as he finished setting Kara's cast.

"Why?" Kara asked before finishing the protein bar.

"Conner lives on a farm." Wonder Woman said, looking at the cast, "I do know of one other that said you can stay with him, but I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I really don't care at this moment," Artemis said after a few seconds thought, "But where ever we go, I have to get our dog and a few things from home."

"That won't be necessary," Batman said as he entered the room. "Barbara went with both Flash and Kid Flash to pack up your place and move it into storage."

"Then where are we going to live?" Kara asked, looking at the dark knight.

"It is only temporary, Kara. Don't worry." Wonder Woman assured the little girl.

"And I can tell you where she won't be going." Atom said once he finished setting the cast, "Kara has a compound fracture in both bones of her lower left leg. She is going to have to go somewhere she can either get around easily with crutches, or somewhere she can't be photographed if she has to fly."

"Because of the team and the league having active social lives, it's a bad idea for them to stay with one of them. So the only options are either they housesit for a league member, go to Paradise Island, or the Batcave. Now none of the league is on vacation, so housesitting is out. I don't think them going to Themyscira would be a good idea largely because of Kara's cast. So that leaves one option."

"Don't even try to argue the point." Wonder Woman said, looking at Batman. "You know he's right."

"No offense, but I would rather go back to Gotham than stay in the Batcave." Artemis said crossing her arms, "And FYI, Kara actually is afraid of bats."

"Not all bats," the young girl said quietly, "Just ones that show off their underwear to the world."

"Don't ask." Artemis said as they heard Gar snicker.

"Be ready to go in an hour." the dark knight said before turning to leave.

"Kara's not leaving till morning." Atom said before the dark knight could leave, "I want to make sure her right leg is ok first, considering what shape her left was in when she arrived here."

"Fine," Batman said looking back at his fellow league member before looking at Artemis, "Contact your school and let them know you won't be in for a few days due to a family emergency."

"I'm still in my probation period," Artemis informed him, "If I call and tell them that; I'm out of a job."

"Then you need a better job." he said before leaving.

"I swear, that man sometimes." Wonder Woman said shaking her head.

"It's not nice to swear." Kara said.

"She has you there." Gar said.

"And thank you for volunteering to spar with me, Gar," Wonder Woman said before walking out of the room. "Let's go."

"Somebody's in trouble." Kara sang as she watched the teen leave the room slowly.

"Oh he's not the only one." Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"Uh-oh." Kara said looking at her mother.

"Would you mind saving it until after I get done examining her?" Atom asked.

"Make it quick." Artemis said sitting in a chair.

"No promises," he said before turning his attention to her daughter, "How's your right leg feel?"

"My ankle hurts." Kara said looking at the table.

He scanned her ankle and sighed after a few minutes before saying, "Well, by the looks of it, you have a stress fracture in your ankle."

"How long is she going to be down?" Artemis asked.

"About two to three months. Give or take." he answered while putting the young girl's ankle in a brace.

"I wish I didn't have these powers." Kara said trying to hold back tears.

"Don't say that," Artemis said getting up from her chair and walking over, "Because I'm glad you have them."

"Why?" the young girl asked looking at her mother, "If it wasn't for me-"

"I would probably be dead by now." Artemis said placing a finger on her daughter's lips effectively silencing her, "You've been saving me from the first day you entered my life, and no one is going to take you from me." She sat on the exam table and gently pulled Kara into a hug. "I love you, Kara." she said as tears started to fall. "I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

Kara returned the hug before asking, "Am I still in trouble?"

Artemis laughed a little before saying, "I think your injuries are punishment enough. Just promise me you will never do that again."

"I promise." Kara replied tightening the hug a little.

"You know," Atom said after a few seconds, "It's a good thing I was finished before you two decided to hug it out."

"Shut up, Atom." Artemis said slowly releasing the hug, "But she is ok, right?"

"Other than the broken bones, she's fine," he said with a slight laugh.

"Well….besides being hungry and tired." Kara said.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I decided to stop by," a voice from the doorway said. They looked over to see Barbara holding a pizza box and what looked like an overnight bag.

"Bart is setting up one of the rooms up here for you to use tonight, Artemis." she said walking over and putting the box on a tray table, "And just so you know, Batman had me take Brucely over to where you two are going tomorrow."

"Thanks and you're just the person we wanted to see," Artemis said smiling.

"No, Bart didn't get into anything personal. Barry and I made sure of that," the redhead said.

"Thanks. But I was talking about another reason," Artemis said pulling her cell out, "We ran into a certain bird at the Flash museum this past Saturday. You know, Dick."

"Less," Kara said with a slight giggle.

"What did you two do?" Barbara asked looking at them.

"Nothing major," Artemis replied bringing up a video on the holo-screens, "Just this."

The room was silent as everyone watched the events from that past weekend. It wasn't until it was over before Barbara busted out laughing. "I don't believe you two did that," she said between laughs.

"He asked for it." Kara said.

"Oh I agree, but who recorded this?" Barbara asked.

"Zatanna," Artemis said before pulling the tray over.

"Ok, that doesn't surprise me," Barbara said wiping a tear from her eyes, "But how did you get Kara to agree to do that?"

"All that was actually her," Artemis answered handing her daughter a piece, "I asked if she wanted to help get him and she just started in like that."

"Well, she's defiantly your kid," Atom said with a slight laugh, "Because only you would've come up with something that ingenuous on the spot, Artemis."

With that, Atom left the room, and after they talked for a few minutes, Barbara left as well.

"Mommy…"

"Yes."

"The reason I carried you with me….well I couldn't have used that teleport without you."

"Why…"

"M'gann said I was in the computer, but only if YOU'RE with me."

"Oh, that's right, well aren't you my little genius." Artemis said with a smile.

The mother and daughter sat there for a while and were happy that they had each other, but something was nagging at Artemis that she couldn't explain.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Dreams of the West

Chapter Eleven

Dreams of the West...

"So you're back again?" Kara heard a familiar voice ask. The young girl opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Wally sitting a few feet away from her.

"Hi Wally," she said sitting up, "How've you been?"

"Not bad, a little bored though," the speedster said with a shrug, "Did you relay my messages?"

She nodded saying, "Yup, and I even found something out."

"Well that makes two of us then," he said solemnly.

"What did you find out?" she asked watching him.

"For some odd reason every time you access the Speed Force, it allows me to be able to communicate with you," he said sounding a little puzzled, "I can't do this with Uncle Barry or Bart though."

"Maybe it's because we're related," she suggested.

"We are?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," the young girl said a little nervously, "I-I'm your daughter."

Wally was silent for a few seconds as what he was told sunk in before saying, "Oh man. Now I have to find a way back."

"I know mom misses you," she said looking at the ground.

"I miss her too," he said before moving so he was sitting next to her. He gently pulled the young girl into his arms and softly said, "I promise kiddo; I will find a way so the three of us can be together."

"I trust you, dad," she said returning the hug, "And it's Kara."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful little girl," he said gently stroking her hair, "I'll be home soon, just have to figure out how."

Kara leaned back and looked up at her father asking, "Couldn't the League set the Zeta tubes to the Speed Force?"

"Unfortunately that's not possible," he said looking at her, "The Speed Force is basically pure energy. It's not something a league member can normally enter like a house or the Watchtower."

"Oh," she said softly.

"Hey," he said smiling a little, "We don't have a lot of time left. So I need you to listen. I am going to find a way back to you and Artemis. Nothing is going to stop me."

"I believe you, daddy," Kara said as she started to cry.

"It's ok, Kara," he said pulling her back into a hug, "We'll be a family soon enough. Just remember; if you want to see me, all you have to do is run and you'll see me in your dreams."

"I can't run for a while," she sobbed against his chest, "I got hurt trying to protect mom."

His arms tightened briefly around her before saying, "Tell me everything that happened."

She wiped her eyes before she started talking. She told him everything from the first time she met her mother clear up until what had transpired the day before. Once she was finished, he started laughing and said, "You are so my kid and I want to see that video."

"Barbara loved it when we showed her," she giggled. "And he asked for every bit of that," he said with a sad smile, "Unfortunately it's time."

"Do you have to go?" she asked looking at him.

"If I don't go back now, then we will never be able to talk like this again," he said before kissing her forehead, "But I will see you again."

"Ok, bye dad," she said sadly.

"Bye Kara," he said before he got up and walked away, "Tell you mom I love her and will see her again."

"I will," she said before he disappeared in a white light.

As the light slowly faded, she found herself in a room with gray walls. She looked to her right to find her mother looking at her.

"You ok?" Artemis asked sounding a little worried.

"I had a dream," Kara said quietly.

"What about?" her mother asked. A tear slowly slid down the young girl's face as she said, "Dad. He asked me to tell you something."

"What did Wally say?" Artemis asked.

"He loved you and is going to find a way to come home," Kara said before they heard a knock on the door.

"He'll find a way back." Artemis said before going to answer the door. She opened the door to find a man a few years older than her. "Hey Ollie, what do you need?" Artemis asked.

"I came to see if you were ready to go," the league member said with a slight chuckle, "And Barbara showed me what you two did to Nightwing."

"He asked for it," she said with a smirk.

"Oh I agree," he said handing her an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked opening it.

"The private bet going on between the League and team as to who could get him." he said with a smile, "I thought you could use it more."

"Ollie, there's got to be at least two grand in here," she said shocked.

"It's actually twelve grand," he said leaning against the doorframe, "After hearing about what Nightwing was doing to Barbara and the bet, Batman put a ten grand bounty on his former protégé's head."

"I'll have to thank him when I see him," Artemis said putting the money in her pocket, "We'll be ready to go in a few. Kara just woke up."

"I'll let him know," he said before walking away.

After helping her daughter get cleaned up and changed, the two made their way to the Zeta tubes to find Barry standing there waiting for them with a wheelchair.

"Hi Barry," Kara said with a slight wave from where she floated in midair, "What's with the chair?"

"The chair is for you," he said smiling, "You're not going to be able to use your powers where you're going."

"And where is that?" Artemis asked as her daughter sat in the chair. "With me," Batman said walking up.

"We are not staying in the Batcave," she said crossing her arms.

"You already made that clear last night," the dark knight said looking at her, "And you won't be."

"Then where are we going?" she asked.

"Keystone," he said before stepping into the Zeta Tube.

"What's in Keystone?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Someone you need to meet," Artemis muttered as before the two of them followed the dark knight.

"Recognized: Batman: Zero One. Tigress: B-Zero Seven. Kara: A-Two Nine,"

"There is a car waiting for you with your clothes in the trunk." he said motioning towards a nearby door, "Barry has already let them know you're coming and what is going on."

"Who knows we're coming?" Kara asked unsure of what was going on.

"You'll see," Artemis said, placing a hand on her daughters shoulder.

Batman turned to leave as he said, "I saw the video of what you two did to Nightwing." He looked back over his shoulder and smiled a little before saying, "You should've hit him harder."

"That was unexpected," Artemis said before watching the dark knight leave.

"He's creepy when he smiles," Kara said with a slight shudder.

"I agree," Artemis said before they walked to the door. As they stepped outside, Artemis smiled as she saw a well-dressed man standing next to a black sedan.

"Hello, Mistress Artemis. It is good to see you again," he said with a slight bow, "And I take it this would be Mistress Kara."

"Hello Alfred," she said pushing her daughter's wheelchair over, "And yes, she is."

"You know him?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"His name is Alfred," Artemis said brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her daughter's ear, "He's an old friend."

The young girl looked at him for a few seconds before asking, "Is Batman always that creepy when he smiles?"

"Only when his mask is one," Alfred said before opening the back passenger door. After everyone was settled and the wheelchair was placed in the back part of the vehicle, Alfred drove them into the city.

"Excuse me, Mr. Alfred, where are we going?" Kara asked.

"We are currently heading to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. West," he replied looking at her via the rearview mirror briefly, "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm kind of hungry," she said before her stomach growled slightly. "I'll fix you something to eat once we get there, sweetie," Artemis said almost sounding a little nervous.

"You ok, mom?" Kara asked looking towards her mother.

"I'm ok, Kara," her mother said as they pulled up in front of a house.

"Do you need assistance getting your things?" Alfred asked parking the sedan.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Alfred. Thank you," Artemis said as she saw a man and woman walking towards the vehicle. She got out and smiled saying, "Hi Mary, Rudy."

"Hello Artemis," Mary said giving the blonde a hug. "Barry told us the gist of what is going on. Are you alright?"

"We're ok, don't worry." Artemis said smiling.

"I'll get your stuff." Rudy said before heading to the back of the vehicle.

"Before you do, there is someone I want you to meet." Artemis said before moving so the couple could see her daughter, "Mary, Rudy, I'd like you to meet Kara. You're granddaughter."


	12. Chapter Twelve: Poker and Chili

Chapter Twelve

Poker and Chili...

To say Mary and Rudy West were surprised about having a grandchild was a massive understatement. Once Artemis had explained everything, the couple was completely thrilled to be grandparents. What made it even better was that they didn't care that Kara had powers. They accepted the young girl for who she was and that was all that mattered. One thing that had surprised the Wests was the fact that Kara actually preferred to read instead of watch TV.

Artemis had assured the two that her daughter was fine and that she found her imagination to be better. It was then that Rudy had stated 'that explained why Barry and Bart dropped off two boxes of books the other day'. The boxes had been placed in the guest room with the rest of their belongings. Things seemed to quiet down after that…for the most part. It wasn't until a week had passed before things got a little crazy.

The day had started with a trip to the doctor's office to make sure Kara was ok. The doctor had confirmed the girl's injuries and stated she needed to be off her feet as much as possible so her legs could heal properly. After Kara and her mother had returned home, they found out that Roy's monthly poker game was going to be held there instead of the redheaded archer's place.

"Are you sure I can't help?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"You heard the doctor, he wants you off your leg as much as possible," Artemis replied as she closed the oven. "And that means no flying either."

"Besides, there's not much left to do here." Mary said looking at her granddaughter.

"Ok." the young girl said before wheeling herself back into the living room.

"You ok there, munchkin?" Rudy asked looking at his granddaughter.

"Just a little bored, grandpa." she replied with a sigh.

"Well don't worry," he said before looking back at the game on TV, "Things might get a little more interesting once Barry and the others get here."

"Now what makes you think that, dear?" Mary said from behind her husband.

"Apparently Barry's friend, Oliver, is bringing some chili he made." he said turning to look at his wife.

"Oh no," Artemis said before sitting in a chair and Rudy saw a look of dread on her face.

"I take it that's bad." Mary said looking at the blonde.

"Ollie's chili makes Superman cringe from the heat." Artemis said with a slight shutter.

"That is THAT hot." Rudy said looking at her.

"Yea, you'd think his tongue was made of steel too. The League actually put together a contest for anyone other than Batman that can eat a bowl of that stuff without having to take a drink," she said looking at him, "The reason why: Batman is the only one other than Ollie that can eat that stuff."

"No way," Rudy said in disbelief.

"Hope you like milk…and have PLENTY of it." Kara said before picking up her book.

"Why milk?" Mary asked looking at her granddaughter.

"Milk reduces the heat the peppers cause." the young girl said.

"And we're out of milk….." Rudy said before standing up. "I'll run to the store and get some before they get here."

"Plus a few other things," Mary said, handing her husband a list.

"Yes dear." he said before going to get his shoes on,

"You want anything from the store, Artemis? Kara?"

"No thank you." the young girl said as she started reading.

"No thanks, Rudy." Artemis said before moving so she was sitting next to her daughter.

"Ok. Be back in a few." he said before leaving.

"Well, how about we play some cards until they get here?" Mary asked getting a deck of from a drawer.

Kara looked up from her book and said, "That deck is missing the two, eight, and king of hearts, four of clubs, six of diamonds, and the three of spades."

"Are you sure?" Mary asked looking at the deck.

The young girl nodded saying, "I went to play solitaire yesterday and couldn't finish because those cards were missing."

Mary checked the deck and gave a slight laugh.

"She's right, isn't she?" Artemis asked smiling.

"Yeah, and I wonder what would happen if you took her to Vegas." Mary said putting the deck back.

"Nothing; I'm too young to be in the casinos." Kara said looking at her grandmother, "Even though Aunt Jade taught me how to win at poker."

"That I would love to see," Mary said as they heard the doorbell.

"They're here." Kara said before going back to her book.

"I wonder if they would be willing to let you sit in for a game." Mary said as she went to answer the door.

"If they do, take them for everything they got, Kara." Artemis said, hearing the door open.

"Now surely you're not talking about us, Artemis." Barry said as he entered followed by three others. "Hey Mary. Sorry about asking if we could use your place like this."

Mary smiled and said, "Its fine, Barry. But why didn't you have it at your place?"

"His kids and my daughter are sick," Roy said taking his jacket off, "Whereas Ollie here got kicked out by Dinah for making chili again."

"Who's Dinah?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"His wife," the blonde said with a slight chuckle, "And the one in the blue and yellow is Dr. Fate."

"I don't like him." Kara said looking at the lord of order.

"Most of the original team doesn't either." Artemis said quietly.

"Whether you like me or not is irrelevant." Fate said looking at the young girl.

"Easy Doc," Barry said, placing a hand on his fellow League member's shoulder, "She was just stating her opinion."

"And this is my house," Mary said glaring at him, "Which means no fighting, watch your language, and you let Kara play at least one hand. Got it?"

"That won't be a problem," Roy said smiling, "Jade taught her how to play and 'supposedly' she can beat me."

"If my daughter plays, then whoever folds has to take a bite of Oliver's chili." Artemis said with an evil grin.

"Deal." Oliver said smiling.

They went over to the table and got the game started. After being dealt her hand, Kara looked at her cards and took one before folding.

"You sure you want out?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

The young girl nodded before saying, "I didn't get anything good."

"If you fold that means you have to take a bite of Oliver's chili." Barry said looking at her.

"I know. It smells good." she said, looking at the speedster.

"I have a feeling someone is hungry," Mary whispered to Artemis as Barry zipped into the kitchen for a split second before returning with a bowl of chili, "That or she's as crazy as her father."

The room went silent as they watched the young girl took a bite.

"We should've waited till Rudy got back with the milk," Mary said a little nervously, "You ok, Kara?"

"It needs salt." Kara said before she continued eating.

"I don't believe it," Roy said watching his niece. "I watched Ollie prepare that stuff like he always does and have seen Superman cry because of how hot that stuff is."

"Superman's a wimp if he can't handle this stuff," Kara said finishing off the bowl. "That was good."

"I'm glad you liked it." Oliver said surprised.

"Yup, ready for another game?" Kara asked as Rudy walked in.

After helping bring the groceries in, they played for roughly around two hours.

Kara would play for a few minutes then fold after getting any new cards.

It finally became her turn to deal as Barry said, "We have to go after this game, Kara."

"That's fine." Kara answered as she started shuffling the cards. She dealt each person five cards and glanced at her hand. 'Perfect.' she thought showing no emotion.

"Your bid, Mr. Queen." Kara said placing her cards face down.

"Ok, I bid ten." Oliver said tossing a white chip into the center of the table.

"I'll see your ten and raise you forty." Roy said tossing two blue chips to the growing pile. This continued for a few minutes until everyone was completely in.

"No offense, but can you hurry this up guys?" Mary asked looking at the clock.

"Not just yet," Roy said smiling, "Neither Fate, Barry, or Ollie have enough to cover my bet."

"I think you mean Fate and Barry don't." Ollie said tossing a set of car keys on the table, "That corvette you've been trying to buy off me for past year."

"Um, can I make a suggestion if you're going to put that on the line?" Kara asked.

"Go ahead Kara. What's your suggestion?" Barry said looking at her. She bit her lip then said, "You agree to put one favor on the line, no questions asked, and Fate has to take his helmet off until the next time he is needed by the League."

"I'm in." Barry said.

"Agreed." Fate said.

"Good then I call." Artemis said, getting a little annoyed.

"Sorry boys, but this game is mine." Roy said revealing a full house; three five's and two sixes.

"Not today, Speedy," Ollie said smiling as he placed three seven's and the other two sixes on the table.

"And unfortunately, it's not your day either, Ollie." Barry said revealing three nine's and two tens.

He went to pull the pot towards him when Fate placed a hand on his shoulder saying, "Fate will not be removing his helmet today."

Barry looked at the sorcerer supreme to see him holding three Jack's and two eight's.

"You four do realize that Kara never folded." Artemis said with a smile before stepping behind her daughter. The four males glanced at each other for a brief second then fixed their collective gaze towards the little girl.

"And what do you have, Kara?" Roy asked.

Kara picked her cards up and placed each one face saying, "Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of hearts."

"You had a Royal flush?" Ollie said in disbelieve after a few seconds.

Kara nodded looking at him and asked. "Is that good?"

Mary placed a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh as Barry said, "You beat us all, Kara."

"Oh, so what did I win?" she asked surprised.

"Roughly around two thousand bucks, a 2011 Chevy corvette, a favor from the Flash and Fate's on call and has to remove his helmet." Ollie said placing five hundred bucks on the table.

"Wow," she said a little shocked at the amount.

"Yeah, and I need to get going." Barry said as him and Roy following Ollie's lead, "See you guys next month."

"Yeah, I need to go see if Lian is doing alright. We don't know what her, Don and Dawn have yet." Roy said.

"And a deal is a deal, you are a formidable player, Kara." Fate said as he reached up and removed his helmet. Light filled the room for a brief second before subsiding to reveal a man in a tuxedo sitting where the sorcerer supreme had been.

"Welcome back, Zatara," Barry said smiling.

"It feels good to be back," the man said before looking at Kara, "Thank you for freeing me, but how could you be sure Fate would lose?"

"It's a long story." Kara said a little shyly and with a smile on her face.

"Anyway, we do need to get going." Oliver said getting up.

The four League members went to leave the apartment as Artemis asked, "Aw, what's wrong you guys? Upset you got beat by a six year old?"

"Shut up, Artemis." Ollie muttered before closing the door.

"Looks like someone's not 'feeling the aster' as Nightwing puts it," Mary said before she busted out laughing.

"Oh I am so telling Dinah about this." Artemis said chuckling.

"Did I do something wrong?" Kara asked looking up at her grandfather.

"You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie," Rudy said reassure her, "You just bruised their egos, that's all."

"I need to call Zatanna after I call Dinah."

"Why Zee, mommy?"

"Well, I'll explain all of it later, but the man that Fate released….he's Zee's father."

"Oh, how long has it been since she saw him?"

"About seven years. He sacrificed himself so Fate wouldn't take Zatanna."

"Can I call Zee and tell her?"

Artemis laughed. "Alright, I suppose she should thank the person that gave her this time anyway."

"YAY." Kara cried out and she went to the house phone and dialed her mother's friend.

Artemis laughed at her daughter's happiness as she watched her daughter, but then the girl's face went to sad.

"What's wrong."

"There's no answer."

"Leave her a message, but don't tell her the news in the message."

"Okay…..Hey Zee, it's Kara. I wanted to tell you something, but I don't want to say in the message. Call me back when you can, I'm at Grandma and Grandpa West's house."

Kara then hung up the phone and was smiling.

"There you go.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Christmas Magic

Chapter Thirteen

Christmas Magic...

Kara sighed as she watched the snow fall from the living room window of her grandparents' place. It had been almost two months since her and her mother had moved in and the League was no closer to finding out why Luthor and the Shadows wanted her. There was some speculation as to what the reasoning was, but that all it was. One thing that had been interesting was that she had won the League's contest concerning Oliver's chili.

That was something she still couldn't understand. What was the big deal about Oliver's chili? It was really good and had a nice mild amount of heat to it; but as her grandfather had pointed out, she apparently had inherited her father's cast iron stomach. But the biggest thing she couldn't figure out was what the big deal about December was. According to her other grandfather….the EVIL one, it was just another month.

Her mother and grandparents had been putting up red and green decorations all over and had even brought a tree inside.

'I will never understand adults,' she thought. She started to turn her chair when she felt her mother hug her from behind.

"Ready for your doctor's appointment, sweetie?" Artemis asked sounding happy.

"I guess," the young girl replied. "Hey mom, what's so special about December?"

"December is when Christmas happens," her mother said before pushing her daughter towards the door, "And yes, I do celebrate it, thanks to your father."

"You do?" Kara asked looking back at her mother.

"Yes, and I think you'll like what I got you." Artemis said smiling. Before Kara could ask another question, the door burst open to reveal her mother's friend, Zatanna, standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Where is she?" Zatanna said as she walked into the room.

"Which she are you talking about?" Artemis asked surprised.

"Kara." the magician said wiping her eyes.

"What did I do?" Kara asked nervously.

Zatanna walked over and knelt in front of the young girl before pulling her into a brief hug saying, "Thank you."

"Y-y-you're w-welcome?" Kara replied surprised.

The magician leaned back and looked the girl in her eyes before saying, "Last time I was able to spend Christmas with my father was before you were born."

"Oh that…." Kara said looking at her friend. "You're welcome." A smile then formed on Kara's face.

"Hey Zee, could you close the door before Mary yells at you?" Artemis asked.

"Actually, I'm here with the others to take you two to your appointment and shopping today." the magician said, standing up.

"What others?" Kara asked.

"Cassie and Barbara." Zatanna said looking down at the girl, "We, as in the five of us, are going to have a girl's day out; curtesy of a certain bat."

"Is that so?" Artemis asked. After grabbing their coats, the three of them went out to the waiting car. Their first stop was the doctor's office.

It was there that Kara had received some good news. Her injuries had healed to the point her left leg could be put in a walking cast and her ankle was fine. From there, they stopped long enough to get the young girl a pair of boots before heading to the mall. As they wandered from store to store, Kara noticed that almost every store had the same decorations up like the ones at her grandparents.

As they stopped for lunch, Cassie looked over at Kara and asked, "So are you having fun, Kara?"

"For the most part," the young girl said with a shrug, "Not sure what is with the decorations though."

"It just people getting ready for Christmas, that's all." Cassie said smiling.

"Why? It's just another day." Kara said looking at the Amazon.

"Dad wasn't big on celebrating Christmas." Artemis said as they sat at table, "According to him it was nothing more than a way to make people spend more money than they couldn't afford to."

"First off Kara," Barbara said looking at her friend, "Your granddad on Artemis' side is a jerk and glorified punching bag for both the league and team."

"Secondly, people celebrate Christmas for different reasons and in different ways," Cassie said looking over the top of her menu, "About the easiest way I can think of to explain it without getting into a religious argument is that December is simply a time to be kinder to each other and show friends and loved ones how much you care about them."

"That was about the way Wally explained to me." Artemis said with a smile.

"Anyway, do you know what you're getting anyone, Kara?" Cassie asked.

"I haven't really thought about it." Kara replied quietly.

"I guess it's a good thing we decided to do this today then." Zatanna said nudging the young girl's shoulder.

"That and you wanted to pick Artemis's brain about what to get her." Barbara said nonchalantly.

"I still don't understand why you didn't just call her and ask." Cassie said.

"Speaking of calling," Artemis said looking at the magician. "Didn't you get Kara's message?"

"I was on an undercover assignment for the league for the past six weeks." Zatanna said looking at her friend, "I haven't even checked my messages yet. When I got home yesterday; I walked in the door at my place and saw my dad sitting in a chair waiting for me and he explained what all happened at that poker game."

"Yeah, what DID happened at that game?" Cassie asked as her and Barbara put their menus down, "Cause all the team has heard are rumors."

"Besides Kara eating a **full** bowl of Oliver's chili and beating the guys with a royal flush?" Artemis asked glancing at her daughter.

"She did what?!" the others said surprised.

Kara giggled at their reaction as Artemis told them what had happened. All through lunch, the three listened as the blonde recounted the events of that day, with Kara chirping in about something her mother had forgotten about. By the time Artemis had finished her tale, the other three were sitting there in amazement at her daughter.

"Roy knew she could do that, but played that hand anyway?" Cassie asked a little confused.

"Jade told him that she taught Kara her trick; but he didn't believe she could do it." Artemis said smiling.

"I'm starting to believe that there's nothing my niece can't do if she puts her mind to it," Zatanna said proudly.

"Since when did she become your niece?" Artemis asked looking at the magician.

"Since she was able to save my dad," the magician replied as a waiter walked up and placed a bowl of ice cream in front of the young girl, "And this is from my dad."

"Um, thank you." Kara said before picking her spoon up and taking a small bite.

"You know, I think this might be the first time Kara's had ice cream." Artemis said as she watched her daughter eat the frozen treat.

Kara nodded as she looked at her mother before saying, "I like it."

"So where are we off too next?" Cassie asked.

"A movie after we finish Christmas shopping?" Barbara suggested before the heard a loud crash.

They all turned towards the front door to see a man wearing a yellow suit with what looked like some sort of tank strapped to his back and black shades.

"Behold! I am the Condiment King!" the man yelled holding up a spray gun that was connected to the tank via a hose. "As long as you all hand over your money and jewels, no one will get hurt."

"He's joking…..right?" Cassie asked sounding unimpressed.

"He's not," Barbara said with a sigh, "Batman has faced him before."

"If he's a Gotham villain, then what is he doing in Keystone City?" Artemis asked.

"Hiding from Batman maybe?" Kara asked before taking another bite.

"More than likely." Barbara said in agreement.

"And if it wasn't for a certain cast, I'd almost say let Kara have him." Zatanna said watching the man walk around the room taking peoples wallets.

"I don't like mustard." the young girl said, finishing her ice cream.

"And this has gone on long enough," Artemis said with a sigh, "Zee, if you would please, I'd like to finish up shopping without any chaos."

"My pleasure," the magician said before raising a hand towards the criminal then whispered, "Nrut Eht Esoh Otni Epor Dna Dnib Mih Htiw Ti."

It was Kara's turn to be amazed as she watch the hose connecting the Condiment King's gun to the tank turn into rope and tied him up.

"How did you do that?" the young girl asked.

"Zatanna has her dad's gift for magic." Cassie said as her cell went off.

"That better not be the Watchtower." Barbara said looking at her friend.

"Nope," the amazon said checking her phone, "It's M'gann; she, Karen, and Raquel wanted to know if we're still at the mall."

"Tell them to meet us at the bookstore when they get here." Artemis said as the bill arrived.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Backfire

Chapter Fourteen

Backfire...

It was four days before Christmas and Kara wasn't sure what to do. While the day out the week prior had allowed her the opportunity to get some gifts for her family, a little piece of paper was giving her a new problem. According to M'gann, the League had agreed to let the team throw a party on the Watchtower and she was invited. But this presented a new challenge for the young girl in the form of a Secret Santa. She understood the concept on it and had gotten a name; but since she hadn't involved everyone with the team, she had no clue who that the person was.

To make matters worse; she wasn't being given a straight answer about the person. After an hour of this runaround, she smashed the coffee table in her grandparents place without even realizing it till after it happened. Once it happened, Kara quickly said an apology before flying off to her and her mother's room in fear. 'Not now.' she thought as she sat on the bed crying. She wasn't sure how long she had been in the room when she heard a knock on the door.

"Kara?" her mother called as she slowly opened the door, "Can I come in?"

"Ok." Kara said looking towards the door. Artemis pushed the door open and smiled softly as she looked at her daughter.

"What happened?" she asked walking over and sitting on the bed.

"Bart called wanting to ask you a question," Kara said wiping the tears from her eyes. "I said you were busy at the moment and asked him a question of my own. Next thing I know, I'm hearing him and two others talking about my Secret Santa person and they won't tell me anything about the person."

"And you punched the table because you got mad." Artemis said, gently pulling her daughter into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I really am," Kara said as her tears started to fall again. "But I've never met the person I got and they kept saying that I have."

"Who did you get?" Artemis asked.

Kara reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper before handing it over saying, "Him."

Her mother looked at the name on the paper for a few seconds before asking, "How many of the League and team have you met so far?"

"About eight of each…maybe," Kara replied after a few moments thought.

"In that case, I think it's time you met the rest." Artemis said before standing up. She pulled her daughter up onto her back and gave her a piggy back ride downstairs.

"Is everything ok, Artemis?" Rudy asked upon seeing the two.

"Nothing that kicking Bart's teeth down his throat won't fix." she said before grabbing their coats.

Kara quickly flew over to her grandfather and landed on the ground before saying, "I'm sorry about breaking the table."

"If Bart was involved in you breaking the table, then he is the one that needs to apologize, not you munchkin." he said before gently patting the young girl's head, "And I called Barry after this happened. He said he would be by in a few to fix the table and take you two to the Watchtower."

"Thanks Rudy." Artemis said as they heard on the doorbell. She opened the front door and smiled, saying, "Hi Barry. What brings you by?"

"I got word someone needed a new coffee table," the speedster said patting the box he had with him. "What caused her to break it?"

"Bart wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him a question." Kara said walking over.

"It was about her Secret Santa." Artemis said, not sounding too pleased.

"Let me put this together and we'll go deal with him." Barry said.

"I'll put the table together," Rudy said placing a hand on the box. "You three go deal with Bart and whoever else is involved."

"I'll have them back later tonight then." Barry said before scooping the two up and running from the house at top speed.

Kara smiled briefly before they arrived at the Zeta tube location a few seconds later. "Stupid cast." she muttered before stepping into the device with her mother.

"Recognized: Tigress; B-Zero Seven. Kara: A-Two Nine"

"Want to see something funny?" Artemis asked lifting her daughter up onto her back. Before the young girl could respond, Artemis walked to the main area of the floor and yelled, "BART! GET OUT HERE NOW!"

"Oh crap, she's pissed." Kara heard Robin say as he walked over.

"Where's Bart, bird boy?" Artemis growled, looking at the teen.

"Cafeteria," he replied calmly with a sigh. "What did he do this time?"

"Got Kara upset to the point she smashed her grandparents' coffee table." she replied before setting her daughter down.

"So that is what him, Jaime, Gar and Billy was laughing about." he muttered.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close before asking, "They what?"

"He conned them into pranking you by rewording any question you asked." he said quickly, "And I have a feeling they took a question Kara asked and did that."

"I was just trying to find out who I'm supposed to get a gift for." the young girl asked.

"Then you asked for the right person," Bart said appearing next to the girl. "Just name the person and I will intro-"

His sentence was suddenly cut off as Artemis grabbed the front of his uniform. "You have the gall to make my daughter cry AND break her grandparents' table…..then act like you did nothing wrong." she said as she slowly looked at him.

All color drained from the speedster's face as he gave a weak laugh and said, "H-Hey Artemis; f-f-fancy seeing you h-here."

"Robin, go introduce Kara to her Secret Santa." she said, letting the boy wonder go. "I need to have a talk with Bart in private about the cost of broken objects caused by pranks."

"Yeah, come on Kara. This isn't going to be pretty." the boy wonder said motioning for the young girl to follow him.

Kara watched her mother for a few seconds before leaving with the teen.

"Bart's going to regret he did that…isn't he?" she asked after a few seconds.

"He broke one of the unwritten rules of the team;" Robin said with a slight smile. "Do not, under any circumstances, piss Tigress off. Anyway, who did you pull for the gift exchange?" She handed him the piece of paper saying, "Someone I haven't met yet."

He stopped in his tracks as his smile widened before saying, "We need to find Conner."

"Why?" she asked a little puzzled.

"You'll see." he said as they started walking again. They went down to the training area to find Conner sparing with a blonde woman.

"Who's that?" she asked looking at Robin.

"Black Canary," he said kneel next to her. "She helps with combat training. They should be done in a few minutes." Kara smiled a little as she watched the two square off.

"She's good." she said quietly.

"Believe it or not, she helped your mom with her skills," he said as Conner landed flat on his back. "And she got him again."

"Wow." she breathed before they walked over.

"You're just in time, Robin," Black Canary said seeing the teen before looking at Kara. "And when did you get a shadow?"

"Since I was told to introduce her to her Secret Santa via a ticked off Artemis." he said with a slight smile, "Black Canary, I'd like you to meet Kara."

"So you're the one that actually ate Ollie's chili and lived to tell about it?" she said smiling.

"It wasn't that hot." Kara said a little shyly.

Robin let out a low laugh before saying, "Anyway, we kinda need to borrow Conner for a few."

"Why me?" the Kryptonian teen asked.

"Kara's hasn't met who she pulled for the Secret Santa yet." Robin replied looking at him.

"I tried to ask Bart, but I ended up smashing my grandparent's coffee table." she said looking down.

"Who did you pull?" Black Canary asked as she knelt in front of the young girl.

"Someone named Wolf," Kara said looking at her before feeling someone or something being placed on her head. "Uh, what is that?"

"Wolf," Conner said with a sigh. "Fair warning, you're probably going to yell when you see him."

"Is he scary?" she asked nervously.

"Only if you make him mad." he answered.

She slowly reached up and felt something fuzzy. Keeping her hands in place, she slowly stepped to the side and looked to find a massive white canine sitting behind her.

"Kara, meet Wolf." Black Canary said with a slight laugh.

"That's one big dog." Kara said slowly taking a step backwards.

"He's actually a wolf." Conner said.

"You have a wolf named Wolf?" she asked as she slowly walked around the Kobra-venom enhanced animal.

"Long story." he said as the animal turned its head and started sniffing the young girl. Kara let out a squeal before hiding behind Robin.

"I think he likes you." the young detective said with a laugh. She slowly poked her head out from behind the teen and laughed as Wolf tried to sniff her again.

"I swear, why do I even put up with those idiots somedays?" Artemis mumbled as she walked up.

"They're part of the team." Conner said as Wolf started to chase Kara around.

"Besides the obvious," Artemis said, rolling her eyes before she felt Kara duck behind her,

"I take it you've met Wolf."

"Yup," the young girl said before getting licked, "EWWW!"

"I think Wolf has a new playmate." Conner said with a laugh.

"To an extent," Artemis said watching her daughter, "She can hardly wait to get her cast off."

"I thought she'd have it off by now considering who her father is." he said.

"She doesn't have the accelerated healing like Wally did." she said sounding a little sad, "I still wish I knew how she's able to talk to Wally in her dreams."

"What do you mean?" Black Canary asked.

"I don't know how, but she's been able to talk to Wally twice in her dreams since the incident at her school a few months ago." Artemis replied looking at the league member, "Thing is; I didn't even know Wally was her father until almost a week later myself. Barry thinks it may have something to do with something called the Speed Force."

"That and we're blood related;" Kara said from behind her mother, "Because he can't talk to Barry or Bart."

"I wonder," Robin said as he started thinking. "Do you think M'gann or J'onn could enter Kara's dream the next time she talks to Wally?"

"If she can, then that would mean mom could talk to dad." Kara said hopefully.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, sweetie," Artemis said looking at her daughter. "We don't even know if they can, let along if it's even possible."

"Don't know if what's possible?" M'gann asked as she walked up.

"Can you enter my dreams?" Kara asked looking at the Martian.

"Robin made a comment about possible being able to enter Kara's dream to talk to Wally." Artemis clarified.

"Possibly," M'gann said after a few seconds thought. "I can't guarantee what will happen though."

"And we are not trying it," Conner said placing a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Not until we know for certain that it IS Wally that Kara's been talking to."

"When Kara first talked to Wally, he told her to tell me something," Artemis said looking at the Kryptonian clone. "Something only the two of us would know. That I have never told anyone else."

"What if we start small?" Robin asked trying to defuse the situation. "M'gann tries to enter Kara's dream alone first. This way we would know if she can and if it is Wally."

"Only if Kara wants to do it," Black Canary quickly interjected.

"If it means mom can see dad again, yes," Kara said without a moment's hesitation.

"If my little girl gets hurt, I will force feed all of you Oliver's chili." Artemis said glaring at each of her friends, "And I won't give you anything to drink for a least an hour."

Everyone standing there cringed at the thought of Artemis' threat, but they knew she was only being protective of her daughter.

"It will work." Kara said before giving a slight yawn.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Dreamscape

Chapter Fifteen

Dreamscape...

The plan was simple; M'gann would try and enter Kara's dream the next time she slept to find out if it actually was Wally the young girl was seeing. Luckily for them, Kara was starting to feel a little drowsy after playing with Wolf. Using one of the empty rooms as a bedroom, M'gann got started. The Martian's eyes began to glow green as the world around her slowly dissolved away before being snapped back into reality.

"I can't enter her dreams," M'gann said looking down at the sleeping girl.

"What do you mean you can't?" Artemis asked.

"It's like Kara's blocking me." the Martian said looking at her friend.

"Send me in," Artemis said, looking at her daughter.

"Artemis, are you crazy?" Conner asked looking at her.

"No, I trust my daughter." she said smiling.

"If you're sure." M'gann said as her eyes began to glow again. The world around the blonde disappeared as Artemis closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself standing in a field of flowers.

"So this is Kara's dream." she said aloud.

"In a way," she heard an all too familiar voice say from behind her. She slowly turned around to find Kara standing next to a redhead.

"Wally?" she asked as a tear slowly slid down her face.

"In the flesh, beautiful," he said smiling. "Well, so to speak."

"I told you I was talking to dad." Kara said, smiling.

"That you did." Artemis said, walking over to the two.

"Before you say anything Artemis, you have to listen," Wally said watching the love of his life, "I don't have much time left to be here. I've been trying to figure out a way back and I think I might have an idea. It involves the gem and the microchip on that watch Kara ha-" His sentence was cut off as Artemis pulled him close and kissed him.

"I love you, I miss you, and you better come home so I can kill you." she said as tears fell freely down her face.

"I'll let you kill me and I love you too," he said wrapping his arms around her, "I'll be home as soon as I can." He kissed her once more rested his forehead against hers. "Keep your mom safe, kiddo." he said as he slowly let Artemis go.

"Don't go." Artemis said tightening her arms around him.

"He has to mom, or I won't be able to talk to him again." Kara said looking up at her mother.

"She's right, Artemis," he said with a sad smile, "It won't be for much longer."

She slowly let him go as she asked. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to let go?"

He nodded before kissing her again and said. "I do."

"Hurry home." she said before he turned and started to walk away.

"I promise." he said before disappearing in a white light. As the light subsided, Artemis found herself sitting on the floor back on the Watchtower.

"You ok, Artemis?" she heard someone ask.

"It's Wally," she said started to cry. "She's been talking to Wally."

"We'll get him back." Kara said as she hugged her mother. Artemis slowly wrapped her arms around her daughter and cried into her shoulder.

There were still a few questions that needed answering, but Conner and the others agreed those could wait till later. They silently left the room as to give the two some privacy.

"You ok, mom?" Kara asked once her mother's tears had died down.

"Getting there," Artemis said wiping her eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?" Kara asked a little puzzled.

"Helping me to see Wally again." her mother said smiling a little, "I just wish we could've had more time together."

Kara pointed at the walking cast and said, "Blame that. Cause I can only talk to him if I access the Speed Force."

"If that's the case, then how were you able to this time?" Artemis asked.

"Barry," Kara replied simply, "He ran us both here."

"And you absorbed some of the Speed Force from him?" her mother asked.

"I think this did." Kara said pulling out the pendant she had received from Green Lantern back on Halloween. "Every time I've used my speed, it glows brighter."

"Strange." Artemis said looking at the pendant.

"What's strange?" Kara asked.

"You didn't have that pendant the first time you were able to talk to your father." her mother replied.

"I think that maybe because I don't know how to discharge the electricity I build up." Kara said putting the pendant away.

"We'll figure it out," Artemis said giving her daughter a hug, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, mom." Kara said returning the hug before they heard a knock on the door.

"And the real world beckons," Artemis said before standing up with her daughter in her arms. She walked over and was surprised to find Hawkman when she opened the door.

"He's big." Kara said wide eyed.

"And you must be Artemis' little one." he said smiling.

"Kara, I'd like you to meet Hawkman." Artemis said before looking at the League member, "Where's Hawkwoman?"

"Trying to figure out what exactly you did to Kid Flash," he answered. "I just want to know why."

"He caused me to break my grandparent's coffee table." Kara said quietly.

"Then he deserved whatever your mother did to him." he said gently patting the girl on her head.

"You really don't want to know what I did to him." Artemis said calmly.

"I'll take your word for it," he said with a laugh, "But seriously, Diana has been looking for you two."

"Who's Diana?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Wonder Woman," Artemis said holding a finger to her lips, indicating it's a secret.

"Oh," Kara said before looking at Hawkman, "Why?"

"I think it may have something to do with your education and training." he said with a shrug, "She's in the meeting room if you want to talk to her."

"Thanks for letting us know," Artemis said before the two walked away. As they walked towards the meeting room, Artemis started to wonder if there was a connection between the pendant and Speed Force.

'I wonder,' she began to think, 'If that pendant absorbs energy from any source, maybe its absorbing the Speed Force because she can tap into it.'

"What are you thinking about, mom?" Kara asked poking her mother cheek.

"It's nothing, sweetie," Artemis said looking at her daughter, "Why do you ask?"

"Because we've been standing outside the meeting room for a while." the young girl said before the doors opened. They looked over to find Wonder Woman standing there.

"I was beginning to wonder what was taking so long." the amazon said with a slight smile.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," Artemis apologized as she entered the room, "What did you want to see us for, Diana?"

"A couple of things;" Wonder Woman said as they walked over to the meeting table, "The first being Kara's education."

"Mom's been homeschooling me." Kara said as he mother sat her in a chair.

"That's good," The Amazon said as she sat across from the young girl.

"Diana," Artemis said taking a seat, "What's this really about?"

Wonder Woman looked at the blonde for a few seconds before asking, "What does Kara know self-defense wise?"

"She knows almost everything my father and Black Canary taught me," Artemis said as she started to get upset, "And that has been put on hold until her cast is completely off."

"I see," Wonder Woman said leaning back in her chair, "And according to STAR Labs, she's not invulnerable."

"What's that mean?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"It means you can be hurt, whereas Superman is invulnerable to EVERYTHING but two things…magic and kryptonite." Wonder Woman said before sliding a box over. The blonde slowly opened the box to reveal a pair of silver colored bracelets and a gold rope.

"That look like Wonder Woman's gear." Kara said looking in the box.

"I hope you don't mind, Artemis, but I asked Hephaestus to make Kara these," Wonder Woman said as she watched the blonde pick one of the bands up, "I know she has the Flash's speed, but I thought those might help."

"And the bracelets are probably bullet proof like yours," Artemis said looking it over, "And the lasso is like yours, right?"

"Yes and no," the amazon princess said, "The lasso is the same; but unlike my bracelets, hers can be hidden with a simple phrase."

"What phrase?" Artemis asked putting the bracelet back in the box.

"She sets the phrase when she first puts them on," Wonder Woman said calmly, "It helps if the phrase is something she doesn't normally say."

"Why are you doing this?" Artemis asked closing the box.

"To protect the both of you," Wonder Woman replied looking at the blonde. "Kara getting hurt the way she did let us all know that doesn't have Superman's invulnerability. With training, those items will help keep her safe."

"But how does that protect my mom?" Kara asked a little confused.

"Because if I lose you, then I've lost everything," Artemis said quietly.

The young girl looked at her mother and saw a tear slide down the woman face before continuing, "I-I already lost your father. I-I-I don't think I can handle losing you."

"You're never going to lose me." Kara said leaning over and hugging her mother.

"The entire League and team is going to make sure of that," Wonder Woman said reaching over and placing her hand on Artemis' shoulder. "I know Kara can't do a lot because of her cast, but there is still something's she can learn."

"You're right," Artemis said wiping her eyes. "And the best place to start is finding out what all see knows."

"And I know what I can get Wolf something for Secret Santa," Kara said looking at her mother with a smile. "I'm just going to need a lot of fabric and yawn."

"Well, that's one thing down." Artemis said with a laugh.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Fluffy

Chapter Sixteen

Fluffy...

Artemis sat amazed as she watched her daughter work. What had started as a simple Secret Santa gift had quickly escalated into something neither her nor Wally's parents had expected. The young girl's idea had been to create a stuffed toy for the Korba-venom enhanced Wolf. It didn't take long to get that done, thanks largely to Kara's speed. But once she had the first one done, she started another. By the time the day of the party had arrived, Kara had made enough stuffed toys for each member of both the League and team three times over.

The strangest part about each of the toys was the amount of detail that went into each of the outfits.

"I got to say, sweetie, I'm extremely impressed." Artemis said loading the wrapped toys into a bag.

"Thanks mom," Kara said picking one of the unwrapped toys up, "Sorry if I went a little overboard."

"It's ok," her mother said placing the last of the presents in the bag, "I just wonder what we're going to do with all the extras."

"One set is going to each of the League and Team member's families," Kara said looking at her mom, "And I was going to keep the final set."

"It makes sense that she'd want to keep a set," Rudy said looking at one of the toys, "I mean she did make these."

"Yeah, in the course of five hours she was able to make one hundred and twenty-nine stuffed League and team members." Mary said.

"A hundred thirty-two actually," Kara said putting the toy down, "I made two of mom in her old costume and Jade in hers for Grandma Paula and me."

"And my mom will love them," Artemis said before going to get their coats, "Ready to go, Kara?" Her daughter gave a slight nod before the doorbell rang.

"Sounds like your ride's here." Rudy said as Kara went and opened the door.

"Hi Mr. Zatara," Kara said smiling at the elder man. "Merry Christmas."

"And merry Christmas to you, Madame Kara." he said smiling.

"Thank you for coming to get us Zatara." Artemis said pulling her jacket on.

"It's my pleasure, Artemis," he said before stepping inside, "I must warn you, I had a couple of unexpected passengers tag along."

"So long as it's not a certain bird and speedster, I don't care," she said before handing Kara her jacket, "Granted, Kara has big surprise for everyone."

"I went a little overboard with Wolf's gift." the young girl said a little sheepishly.

"How overboard?" he asked looking at her.

"We're taking a third of them to the party." Artemis said before picking up the bag.

"Good thing we have the van." he said with a slight laugh.

"Have fun you two." Mary called from the living room.

"We will," Artemis replied. They went out to the waiting van to find a couple Kara had never seen before.

"Carter and Shayera Hol, I'd like you to meet Kara," Zatara said making the introductions, "Kara, I'd like you to meet the Hals; Carter and his wife Shayera."

"We've met," Carter said with a slight wave, "Well….my alter ego has."

"We have?" Kara asked quietly.

"You have." Artemis said loading the bag into the back of the van.

Once everyone was in, Zatara drove them to the warehouse district where the Zeta tube was. It wasn't long after that, Kara found herself back on the Watchtower for the second time that week.

As she walked into the main area, she was surprised to see the place had been decorated for the holiday.

"Looks like they turned M'gann loose." Artemis said before carrying the bag over to the tree that had been set up.

Kara walked alongside her mother and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Normally, the Watchtower doesn't look like this," Artemis answered, "I wonder how she did it though."

"Tell me what you did to Bart and I'll tell you how she convinced the League to decorate." Robin said placing a gift under the tree.

"Made him chug three glasses of the juice from Oliver's chili." she said setting the bag down.

"Let's just say it involved Bart, a case of those energy shots and having me hack the system so neither him nor the League couldn't leave the Watchtower for three days." he said with a slight laugh.

"That sounds like something you'd do, mom." Kara said looking at her mother.

"In a heartbeat, but it looks like I've rubbed off too much on M'gann." Artemis said smiling, "Now let's go have some fun."

"Ok." Kara said she felt something being placed on her head.

"Speaking of which," Robin said looking over, "I think your playmate has been waiting for you, Kara."

"Hi Wolf." the young girl said turning around and hugging the Kobra-Venom enhanced animal. Wolf nuzzled the girl's neck inciting a giggle from her.

"So what's in the bag?" Robin asked looking back at what the two had brought.

"Kara's Secret Santa gift and something for everyone." Artemis said watching her daughter.

Over the next few hours, Kara smiled brightly as she met the rest of the team and League. After a while, it finally was time to pass out the gifts. She went over to the tree to find her mother opening the bag when the computer system suddenly made an announcement.

"Recognized: Nightwing, B Zero One."

"What's Nightwing doing here?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Other than being one of the founding members of the team, I'm not sure." Artemis said watching her fellow teammate.

The two watched as their Halloween prank victim walked over to the tree and placed a wrapped box next to it.

"Surprised to see you here, Nightwing," Artemis said with a slight smile, "It's been what, a couple months?"

"Yeah, I'm still not happy about what you did," he said looking at his teammate, "Nor the fact you conned some kid into helping."

"Try daughter, Nightwing." she said motioning towards Kara.

He slowly took a step backwards as he looked at the young girl and asked, "She's your daughter?"

"Me and Wally's," she said smiling, "It's a long story."

"I've got the time if you want to tell it." he said before getting pulled into a headlock.

"Hi Barbara." Kara said, smiling.

"Hi Kara," the redhead said before turning her attention to her captive, "You and I need to have a talk."

"He's in trouble." the young girl giggled as she watched her friend drag the other away.

"Eh, that's normal for them." Artemis said pulling a wrapped package out of the bag, "Ready to hand these out? And yes, you can fly to deliver them."

"Ok," Kara said smiling brightly as she took the first package. After checking the name, she flew over to where Gar was standing and held it out to him saying, "Merry Christmas, Gar."

"Thanks, Kara," he said taking the offered gift, "You were my Secret Santa?"

"Nope." she said before going to get another.

"Glad I had you were jeans today?" Artemis asked handing her daughter two packages.

"Yup." the young girl said before flying off to find her next targets.

"Looks like someone is having fun." a male voice said walking up to Artemis.

"That she is" Artemis said watching her daughter, "And I have a feeling you need to talk to me about something, Hal."

"It's about the watch she had," the Green Lantern said watching the young girl, "I had a friend look into each piece and he figured out what they are."

"Do I want to know?" she asked before tossing her daughter a package as the girl flew by.

"The plans on the microchip are for building a large scale portal like the zeta tubes." he said creating a small construct version of the portal via his ring, "It would have been powered by the energy the crystal syphoned from your daughter, whereas the watch had the coordinates to who the League thinks is working with Vandal Savage."

"Please tell me that was the only copy of those plans." she said before looking at him, "and why are you telling me this now? Couldn't it have waited until after the new year?"

"As far as we know yes," he said as the construct disappeared, "And Batman is the answer to your other questions."

"Figures." she said before tossing her daughter another couple of packages.

"Getting tired of not having your own place again?" he asked.

"Not having my own place, not working, and hiding," she said looking at the gift in her hands, "I just want to be able to go home with my daughter."

"We will, mom," Kara said hugging her mother from behind, "Don't worry."

"I'm trying not to, sweetie." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

Hal waited until the girl had grabbed another package and flew off to find its recipient before saying, "The team was right, you have changed."

"Parenthood does that to a person," she said glancing at him, "Maybe you should try it sometime."

"I think I'll stick with babysitting my nephew from time to time." he said before catching a package.

"From Kara," Artemis then her smile turned into a frown and her eyes showed a seriousness. "Open that before she says it's ok and I'll let her throw you out an airlock without your power ring."

"Got it." he said before walking away.

"Who was that, mom?" Kara asked as she picked up the two last gifts.

"Believe it or not, that was the other Green Lantern of the League." Artemis said looking at the young girl, "His name Hal, and the one that visited your school was John."

"Cool," Kara said before taking the last two gifts from her mother, "The last two."

"And one of them is Wolf's, right?" Artemis asked as she watched the animal in question walk up behind her daughter.

"Yup," Kara said before she felt a familiar weight on her head, "And he found me."

"I think he's getting impatient for his gift." Artemis said with a laugh.

"That or he wants to play." Kara said before holding out the wrapped package. Wolf licked the young girl before taking the package in his jaw and walked off. "EWWW!" Kara squealed before giggling then flying off to find the final recipient.

"You are one weird child." Artemis said shaking her head.

"But she's your weird child." she heard Karen say as she stood up.

"And I wouldn't trade her for the world," Artemis said as she was handed an envelope, "What's this?"

"I pulled you for the Secret Santa," Karen replied with a smile, "I thought you and Kara might like a night out just the two of you."

"Thanks," Artemis said before Kara came flying up and latched onto her, then started sobbing. "Kara, what's wrong?"

The young girl let out a soft whimper before looking up slowly and softly said, "I want to go home."

Artemis wrapped her arms around the little girl and asked, "Why do you want to go home? Everyone is about to open their Secret Santa gifts."

Kara buried her face into her mother's shoulder as a voice suddenly yelled, "Neptune's Beard…..why should I have to apologize to some little brat that got onto the Watchtower? Let alone how did some orphaned kid get up here anyway? She shouldn't even be here."

The entire place went quiet as all eyes turned towards the source of the outburst as Kara whispered. "Can we go home?"

"As soon as I have a little talk with La'gaan," Artemis said coldly, "Karen, keep track of Kara for a few minutes."

"Come here, Kara," Karen said with a slight smile knowing what was coming. "You're going to want to watch this."

Kara tightened her arms slightly as she heard a loud clang. The young girl looked up to see Roy pinning La'gaan to a wall before hearing him yell, "That 'brat' as you called her is Artemis' daughter and my niece! She has every right to be here as much as you do. Got it?"

"G-Got it." La'gaan stammered wide eyed.

"Good," Roy said before letting the Atlantian go, but Artemis was quick in dragging the young hero away by his black ponytail. He walked over to where his niece was and said, "Come on, Kara. I think you might get a kick out of what you mom is going to do to him."

"Is it going to be funny, Uncle Roy?"

"I don't know kiddo, we'll just have to wait, I mean your mom IS my sister in law, and Jade can be pretty evil at times."

With that, Kara flew up into her uncle's arms and they went to see if they could find the infamous Tigress.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Smile

Chapter Seventeen

Smile...

Following La'gaan's outburst; things around the base seemed a little more quiet than usual. The laughter that everyone had gotten used from the little girl had disappeared for Kara had stopped taking. When she did; she barely said anything for the rest of the event. Even once they got home, Kara mumbled a goodnight before heading to bed. It wasn't until she had climbed under the covers that the tears she had been holding back finally started to fall.

She wasn't sure why, but La'gaan's words had hurt more than expected. Maybe it had been because there were still some members of the League she wasn't familiar with yet. While she had to admit it was kind of cool to watch her mother beat the tar out of that guy, her eyes slowly started to drift shut.

"Kara," she heard someone call out to her softly, "Hey. You ok?"

She slowly opened her eyes to find Wally looking at her with a slightly worried look on his face.

"Not really," she said softly.

She sat up and as he asked, "Want to talk about?"

She slowly closed her eyes before saying, "La'gaan said I shouldn't be on the Watchtower."

"And he's an idiot," Wally said gently lifting his daughter onto his lap, "Because the only reason he said that was because he didn't know what was going on. Please tell me someone kicked his head in."

Kara smiled a little as she said, "Roy, mom, Barbara and Zatanna."

"You do realize that if Roy will to stand up for you, then you belong there," he said looking at her, "Now what's really wrong?"

"I miss home." she said leaning against him.

He let out a low sigh before calmly saying, "Trust me. I know that feeling."

"Have you come up with an idea on how to come home yet?" she asked.

"I think so, but it would involve either trashing a Zeta tube or building one," he said gently stroking her hair, "And I have no idea how they were built."

"There were plans for some sort of portal on the microchip in my watch." she said looking at him, "Would those work?"

"I don't know without seeing them." he said.

"I could show them to you," she said before biting her lip, "But I only got a glimpse of it, so it may not be complete."

"How?" he asked watching at her.

"Well this is my dream," she said as a holo-screen appeared in front of them displaying the plans, "And Raquel said I have a near i-i-identic memory."

Wally's eyes quickly looked over the image before asking,

"And you got all this from a glimpse?"

She nodded before asking, "Does it help?"

He started to smile before saying, "Actually, this is perfect. All that you would need to do is place the crystal in one of the energy discharge points to generate a portal. But you would need a second one to power it."

"Like the one on the watch?" she asked hopefully.

"Exactly, but both crystals need to be at full power, but don't you dare try and charge both of them at the same time," he said before tapping her on the nose, "Tell your mom and Barry about this as soon as you can, ok?"

"I promise, bye dad." she said before giving him a hug.

"Bye Kara, see you soon." he said returning the hug briefly before disappearing in a white light.

Kara's eyes fluttered open as she rolled onto her back, the message her father gave her still fresh in her mind.

She slowly sat up and smiled as she saw her mother enter the room. "You ok, sweetie?" Artemis asked walking over and sitting on the bed.

Kara nodded before saying, "A little bit. I talked to dad again."

"Oh yeah, what did he say this time?" Artemis asked.

"La'gaan's an idiot and he misses home and us," Kara said before smiling, "also he thinks he may have figured out a way back, but there's a problem."

"There usually is when he's involved," Artemis said with a slight laugh, "What has he come up with?"

"Place my crystal in one of the energy discharge points on the plans that were in my watch," Kara replied.

Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "You're right, that is a problem."

"The League won't let us do that, will they?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Not after what Hal found out about those plans." Artemis said before kissing her daughters forehead, "But enough about that, ready for breakfast?"

"I guess." Kara said with a light shrug.

Artemis pulled her daughter into a hug and sighed saying, "I know, Kara, I want him home as much as you do. But we can't just go build something that the bad guys could get their hands on."

"Dad said we could possibly use a Zeta tube," the young girl said wrapping her arms around her mother's waist.

"And we would have to pay for any and all damages done to it." Artemis said before they heard a knock on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone here to see you." Mary said from the doorway.

"Thanks, Mary. We'll be down as soon as someone gets changed." Artemis said before tickling her daughter slightly.

"That won't be necessary," they heard a voice from the doorway. Artemis turned to see a woman with long raven hair leaning against the doorway.

"Hey Zee," Artemis said standing up and turning to face the unexpected guest, "What brings you here?"

"Three things," the magician said holding up three fingers, "The first being that Billy got a hold of some peppermint schnapps and spiked La'gaan's drink last night."

"I see." the blonde said with a slow nod.

"Yeah; which is why Batman put him on an undercover assignment as of last night." Zatanna said with a slight laugh.

"I was going to let Kara turn him into her private punching bag once her cast comes off," Artemis said simply as she sat back down on the bed, "What's number two?"

"Secondly, you have six different people asking for you to come have Christmas dinner with them tomorrow." Zatanna said pulling out a small stack of envelopes.

Artemis blinked a few times before asking, "Ok I'll bite; which ones?"

"Robin, Conner, Diana, Barry, Oliver, and my dad," Zatanna replied handing over the envelopes.

"What are we doing for Christmas?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Well, my original thought was spend at least Christmas eve here then go see my mom on Christmas day," Artemis said as she reached up and brushed her daughter's hair back behind her ear, "What's number three?"

"It's a request from Wonder Woman," Zatanna said trying not to laugh, "While she understands that La'gaan's pissed you off because of what he said; you are to never, under any circumstance what so ever, to force someone to do shots of the juice that comes from Oliver's chili equal to their age after facing you in an hour long ironman sparing match."

"It was either I do that or let Conner rip his nuts off and use them as hackie sacks." Artemis said with an evil grin.

"Either way, both Billy and La'gaan have been suspended until the both apologize to you and Kara," the magician said before sitting on the edge of the bed, "And that is after they both apologize to every League and team member."

"No." Kara said looking at the bed. The two looked over to see a tear fall from the young girl's face.

"Kara, what's wrong?" Artemis asked a little worried.

"I'm not accepting their apologies unless they beat Aunt Jade in paintball." Kara said wiping her eyes, "If they lose, they shotgun a glass of that juice; another week suspension if they don't or refuse."

"And La'gaan hit a bigger nerve than what everyone thought," Zatanna said before she moved so she was sitting on the other side of the young girl, "Come on Kara, what's wrong?"

"I'm not an orphan." the young girl said as she tried to hold back tears.

"You're right," Artemis said wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulders, "You're not an orphan. You're my daughter."

"Plus my adopted niece and that means you're my dad's unofficial granddaughter." Zatanna said mimicking her friend's actions, "If anyone says different, they have to go through both through us."

Kara sniffed before wiping her eyes and smiled softly before saying, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, and everyone loved what you got them," the magician said brushing the girl's hair back, "Where did you find those?"

"She actually made them," Artemis replied.

"I picked up a book on sewing from the school library once and found it relaxing," Kara said looking at her friend as her smile widened, "Why do you ask?"

"Because a certain bird thinks you could make a small fortune making those," Zatanna said. "I probably already know the answer to this, but which bird?" Artemis asked.

"Dick," Zatanna replied.

"Less," Kara said without missing a beat. The three couldn't help but laugh at the comment.

Once they finally stopped, Artemis kissed her daughters head and asked, "Anyway, you ready for breakfast sweetie?"

"Yup." Kara replied with a nod.

"Then you might want to get dressed," Zatanna said giving her niece a hug, "Dad wants to take you all out for breakfast this morning."

"Which is actual good, since Kara has a doctor's appointment today." Artemis said getting up and walking over to her daughter's dresser.

Kara let out a low moan before falling back down on the bed and said, "I don't want to go see the doctor."

"Not even if it means getting out of your cast?" Artemis asked looking over at her daughter. Kara quickly flew over to the dresser and opened one of the draws saying, "I want this thing off."

"So impatient…just like your father." Artemis said as she smiled and shook her head at her daughter's antics.

"Daddy misses us, and I want to talk to him again. With this cast on…I can't."

"Wally is always impatient, and he wants to hug you outside of your dreams." Zatanna remarked.

"Then I can kill him for running off like he did."

"MOMMY."

"Not really sweetie, just getting that out of my system."

The three girls then laughed a bit as Kara finished getting ready.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: An Unexpected Hero

Chapter Eighteen

An Unexpected Hero...

The day had been going so well. Between breakfast with Zatanna and her father and finally getting her cast off, Kara didn't think the day could get any better. Unfortunately, she was now wishing she had never thought that. While her grandparents on her father's side had gone back home to getting work on dinner, Zatara had taken Kara and Artemis to the young girl's appointment before taking them to a sporting goods store to get a last minute gift. While it had been a good idea at first, even Kara was wishing they had never gone there.

Gun fire had erupted from the front of the store while they had been looking at the winter coats.

"You've got to be kidding me," Artemis said as the four of them ducked behind one of the displays, "A robbery on Christmas Eve?"

"More like hostage situation." Zatanna said as she watched the robbers start gathering people in the front of the store.

"And this day just keeps getting better." Artemis sarcastically whispered.

"Uh, mom, who's the guy in the hockey mask?" Kara asked motioning towards one of the men.

Artemis's eyes widened as she looked over and said, "Sportsmaster? What's he doing here?"

"We'll find out soon enough, Artemis," Zatara said watching some of the men start to move about the store, "Right now we need to find a better hiding place."

Staying low, they quietly made their way behind one of the counters.

"Anyone get a count of how many there are?" Zatara whispered.

"I think I counted six besides Sportsmaster." Artemis said peering over the countertop.

"Twelve," Kara said almost as like she was looking through the counter, "Each one is armed with an AK-47, a .22 pistol, knife, and assorted grenades."

The others looked at the girl as Zatara asked, "How do you know?"

"She has x-ray vision." Artemis said as she remembered what Barry had told her about Kara's powers. "See anything else?"

Kara was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "The one is saying something about the phone lines and a jammer?"

"They cut the lines and are jamming cell phones." Zatanna said holding up her phone.

"Looks like we're on our own." Kara blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes and softly asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"I'd say call the League or team for help, but that's out of the question," Zatanna replied before carefully looking over the counter top, "And it looks like they're closing the front shutters."

"Block the entrance so the cops can't see what is going on." Artemis said as she leaning with her back to the counter, "Does anyone have an idea?"

"I'm not sure what we can do without getting someone hurt." Zatara said.

"Would night vision goggles help?" Kara asked looking at a box.

"Not as long as the lights are on," Artemis said before smiling, "And you just gave me an idea."

"Kill the lights and use those goggles to take them out…" Zatanna said catching onto what her friend was thinking, "Good idea, there's just one small problem. We're going to have to drop these guys almost immediately before they can get the lights back on."

"Nope, because they won't get them back on." Kara said before disappearing in a just of wind.

"She is so like her dad some days." Artemis said before the lights went out.

"SOMEBODY GET THOSE LIGHTS BACK ON!" they heard Sportsmaster yell.

Artemis felt a slight gust of wind before hearing her daughter whisper. "Before or after they fix the breaker box?"

"Nice job killing the breakers." Zatanna said softly.

"Wait for it." Kara said before a series of small explosions went off around the room.

"You are definitely your father's kid," Artemis said before pulling on a pair of night vision goggles.

She turned them on to see her daughter holding what looked like twelve flashlights in her arms, a series of metal rings on her fingers and a breaker box at her feet before saying, "You are not keeping all of that as souvenirs."

"What's a souvenir?" Kara asked putting the flashlights down.

"We'll explain later, sweetie." Artemis said gently patting the girl on the shoulder, "Zee, if you would please."

"Egnahc Su otni Ruo Semutsoc." the magician said before her, Zatara, and Artemis's clothes changed to their hero gear.

"Henshin." Kara whispered as the items Wonder Woman had given her appeared.

"Zatanna, I want you and Zatara to stay put with Kara, ok?" Artemis asked, looking at her daughter, "I'll handle my father."

Upon hearing who Sportsmaster was, Kara took off in a gust of wind. _'Not yet,'_ she thought as she circled wide. She pushed her goggles up as she saw him slowly light a flare.

"EAT FIST!" she yelled as she jumped and threw all her weight into a Superman punch.

The punch connected with enough force to make her grandfather spin twice in midair before slamming into the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly disarmed him of all weapons and tied him up with the cord from his mace.

"Nice shot kid." Zatanna said as her and the others came running up.

"Thanks." Kara said before slowly sinking to the floor.

"Thgil Eht Moor Dna Eit Pu Lla Eht Srebbor." Zatara said before the room filled with light.

Artemis gently picked her daughter up and whispered, "What were you thinking doing that?"

"I'm not letting him hurt my family," Kara whispered as she laid her head on her mother's shoulder, "And I wanted to ask him something."

"Um, excuse me." they heard someone say. They looked behind them to see one of the employees stand up before saying, "Other than thank you and there's a lot of power in that little girl. The cops should be here in a few minutes if not already here."

"He's right, Tigress, we need to go." Zatara said before raising his walking stick, "Tropelet Su Ot Tseraen Atez Ebut."

A white glow surrounded them before they were transported to warehouse.

"Kara, promise me you will never do that again." Artemis said closing her eyes.

She looked over at her daughter to find the girl had fallen asleep. "Every time," she said sighing.

"What's wrong?" Zatara asked looking at her.

"Kara fell asleep," she said turning to face him, "She does that every time she uses her powers."

"Not by choice." Kara said softly as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey kiddo," Zatanna said walking over and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You ok?"

Kara slowly shook her head before pulling her pendant out of her shirt saying, "It hurts."

The magician's eyes went wide before quickly taking the pendant off the girl and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Uh, Jon Stewart gave it to her when he and Rocket visited my class room back on Halloween," Artemis said surprised, "Why?"

"Because this is a Zekron crystal," Zatanna said holding up the now white crystal, "We have to discharge this thing now."

"No offense, Zee, but you're making this sound bad." Artemis said.

"Try nuclear bad," Zatara said walking over and looking at the crystal, "Once these things go white, they've hit their limit on how much power they can absorb. Why did Kara have one?"

"Barry said I'm constantly generating energy from being able to tap into the speed force," Kara said a little louder, "Dad says if we plug that into the Zeta tubes; it will create a doorway there so we can bring him back, but at a cost."

"What's the cost?" Artemis asked a little leery.

"A speedster will have to give up their speed in order to bring him back." Kara said with a slight shake of her head.

"As much as we all want Wally back, there's no way we can ask Barry or Bart to give that up," Zatanna said after a few moments.

"They won't have to," Kara said looking at her friend, "Because I will."

"Kara, you can't." Artemis said surprised.

"If it brings dad home, then I have to do it." Kara said shifting her gaze to her mother.

"And what if it doesn't work?" Artemis asked trying to hold back tears, "You could be severely hurt or dead."

"I think we need to talk to the rest of the league about this," Zatara quickly interjected, "And until then, no one is trying it."

"I'll contact the League and see if someone can come take this the long way to the Watchtower," Zatanna said before accessing her com-link, "Because this could detonate if we try and take it through the Zeta tubes."

"Good idea." Artemis said holding her daughter close.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Kara asked giving her mother a hug.

"Oh yeah," Artemis said before leaning back to look at the young girl, "You took off without telling any of us what you were doing, you went after Sportsmaster after I told you to stay put, you punched out your grandfather before I could hit him once, and you burned a hole in your shirt and trashed your shoes. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sportsmaster's a bad guy and he isn't my grandfather; Zatara is," Kara said looking down, "And the hole is from the crystal."

Artemis rested her forehead against her daughters for a few seconds before saying, "No powers of any kind, what so ever, or Watchtower for the rest of the year. Got it?"

"Sure thing, mom." Kara asked before they heard the Zeta tube kick on.

"Recognized: Rocket, Two Six: Flash, Zero Five"

"We heard about the sports store," Flash said walking over, "You guys ok?"

"Thanks largely to some quick thinking from Kara," Zatanna said handing the crystal to Rocket, "We need you to fly this to the Watchtower."

"Is this one of those 'Zeta it and go boom' things?" Rocket asked.

"More than likely." the magician replied.

"No Zeta tube, got it." Rocket said before flying away.

"I think my chest got burned." Kara said with a slight grimace.

"I'll take care of it when we get home." Artemis said hugging her daughter lightly.

"You should've seen Kara, Flash." Zatara said looking at his fellow league member, "She single handedly took down twelve armed thugs and Sportsmaster without a single person getting hurt."

"And she got grounded for it." Artemis added.

"Can we go home?" Kara asked before yawning.

"Yeah, you're done for the day." her mother said, smiling.

"Only after you admit one thing, Artemis," the Flash said, looking at her. "You are extremely proud of your daughter right now."

"Flash, I am always proud of my daughter," She said looking at him, "Whether she decided to become a hero or not; I'm going to support her every way I can."

"Thanks mom." Kara said resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Artemis said smiling, "Now let's get you home. I have a feeling you could either use a nap or a something to eat; if not both."

"Sleep then food, both of those sound SOOOO good." Kara replied before nodding off.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: The Next Mission

Chapter Nineteen

The Next Mission...

Artemis sighed as she watched the news report of what happened earlier that day.

"Kara did all that?" Mary asked surprised.

"That she did." the blonde said as she saw Barry's wife, Iris, appeared on the screen.

"According to initial reports, Sportsmaster and his fellow robbers were taken down by a hero that the police are calling Power Girl," the redheaded reporter stated, "While no video footage exists of this new hero; from what we hear at GBS News is that this hero maybe the protégé of the heroine Tigress."

"Great," Artemis said as she rubbed her temples, "Just great."

"G. Gordon Godfrey is going to have a field day with this." Rudy said leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe not." Mary said turning the volume up slightly.

"In other news, it appears someone has had enough of G. Gordon Godfrey and his anti-Justice League remarks," Iris said with what sounded like a hint of smugness in her voice, "For a class action lawsuit has been filed against him and GBS. It is for that reason, this station has suspended all production of Godfrey's show until this matter is resolved."

"That was unexpected." Artemis said before Kara walked up to her seat.

"What was, mom?" the young girl asked rubbing her eyes.

"Just someone that hates the League got pulled off the air," Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"Power Girl." Kara said seeing the name in the breaking news scroll then looked at her mother before asking, "Power Girl?"

"That's what the news is calling you after what happened in that sporting goods store incident," Rudy said looking at his granddaughter, "You saved a lot of lives today, Kara."

"I did?" she asked surprised.

Artemis lifted her daughter up onto her lap and hugged her saying, "Yeah, you did. But you're still grounded."

"I know, and my chest is feeling a little better." Kara said leaning on her mother's shoulder.

"What happened to her chest?" Mary asked.

"One of the Lanterns gave her a crystal that can syphon off the excess electrical energy she is constantly generating," Artemis began to explain, "Well; she ended up generating enough energy that the crystal turned white and burned her slightly."

"That explains the burn mark in her shirt." Rudy said before changing the channel.

"So what happened to the crystal?" Mary asked.

"Rocket had to fly it to the Watchtower because it could've gone nuclear if they tried to Zeta it there," Kara said as her stomach growled loudly, "Sorry."

"It's ok Kara." Artemis said as they heard a knock on the door.

"Last time I heard a stomach like that was Wally's." Rudy chuckled as Mary went to answer the door.

"And it only happens when she uses her speed." Artemis said. "After the amount of speed she exhibited today, I'll be surprised if there's any food left in the house tonight."

"Which is why Bats sent me," Bart said as he followed Mary into the room carrying three pizza boxes.

"What's with all the food?" Artemis asked.

"One of these is Kara's," he said holding the boxes up, "Ones mine, and the last one is for you and the Wests."

"That's nice of you, Bart." Mary said taking two of the boxes and heading into the dining room.

"Thanks, but this is partially Bats' orders." he said following.

"Is it wrong not to like those two words?" Kara asked as everyone moved to the dining room.

"No, but you get used to it," Artemis said as Bart quickly set the table, "So what's the full reason you're here, Bart?"

"Batman wanted make sure Kara was okay after hearing about what happened with Sportsmaster and the crystal." the speedster said as everyone took a seat, "Nice job on the take down by the way."

"Thanks." Kara said as Mary started placing the boxes on the table.

"There's more to your visit then just that isn't there, Bart?" Rudy asked.

All eyes turned towards the speedster as he said after a few moments, "Batman wants to borrow Kara for a mission."

"No." Artemis said flatly.

"Be sure to tell him that because it's a massively bad idea," he said looking at her. "You know what's going to happen, don't you?" Mary asked.

"No," he said flipping open one of the boxes, "But I know what he wants her to do."

"I get used as a weapon, don't I?" Kara asked quietly.

Bart put a slice on his plate before saying calmly, "Possibly."

He leaned back in his seat as he looked at the far wall before saying, "Just after the new year, Batman is going to have Kara transfer into the Metropolis school system. A week later, she will take part in a field trip to Lexcorp in an attempt to try and find out any information about why Luthor wants that chip."

"She's not doing it," Artemis said looking at the speedster, "Luthor has made certain that every one of his security guards have Meta scanners; remember Arsenal's little plan backfiring."

"Trust me, I know and how could I forget about that;" Bart said before taking a bite of his slice, "But you know how Batman is."

"I am not going to let him put my daughter in danger," Artemis said placing her hand on Kara's, "If he's so bound and determined to find out what Luthor is doing, why doesn't he have Robin, Mal, or Barbara do it?"

"Artemis, calm down," Rudy said placing a hand on her shoulder, "No one is doing anything tonight. It's Christmas eve."

Kara looked at her mom and said, "And dad said you're grounded from hero work until he gets back; and I'm allowed to use my powers to stop you if necessary."

"Hey there's a new topic. How do we get Wally back?" Bart asked trying to change the subject.

"What are you talking about, Bart?" Mary asked looking at him, "Wally's gone."

"No. He's stuck in the Speed Force." Kara said before taking a slice.

"Why do I have a feeling there's something you haven't told us yet, Artemis." Rudy said after sharing a quick glance with his wife.

"This is probably going to sound completely crazy," Artemis started after a few seconds, "But ever since what happened back at my old job, Kara has been able to talk to Wally in her dreams after she uses her speed enough."

"She's been talking to Wally?" he asked sounding a little skeptical.

"Dad said the anniversary gift you miss placed the year he graduated high school is in the secret compartment in the back of the entertainment center," Kara said looking at her grandfather, "And that grandma has a fake book she keeps her wallet in at night."

Artemis looked at the shocked faces of the West and said, "Trust me; I felt the same way when Kara called me something only Wally called me."

"Wait a minute, Wally's alive?" Rudy repeated….shocked at the fact that his son could return.

"I know, I thought he was dead too, but now I know he got trapped in the Speed Force after the Arctic Circle incident/" Artemis said after taking a bite.

"W-why didn't you tell us sooner?" Mary asked as she started to cry.

"Dad asked us not to," Kara said looking at her grandparents, "Because he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case this doesn't work."

"Sometimes a little hope is better than having no hope at all." Mary said wiping tears from her eyes, "So how do we get him back?"

"Dad had an idea." Kara said putting her slice on her plate, "If we hook up the crystal to a Zeta tube; it can create a window into the Speed Force. I can pull him through once it's open."

"That might actually work." Bart said looking at her.

"So Wally is the one that came up with that plan about the Zeta tube and the crystal?" Mary asked, on the verge of tears.

"Yup," Kara said with a nod, "Once the window is opened, I can reach in and pull Dad out…at the cost of my speed."

"You know," Artemis said putting a slice on Rudy and Mary's plates each. "At first I was completely against this, but I think it's time to bring Wally home. The question is, how? The League is not just going to let us modify a Zeta tube for this." "

Unless we use one of the temporary ones," Bart said as he started to smile, "Like the one in the warehouse."

"Dad showed me what modifications need to be done for this to work." Kara said calmly, "All we would need is one of the crystals."

"Meaning…we have to get one of them from the Watchtower." Artemis said.

"STAR Labs has the fully charged one." Bart interjected, "After Rocket let them know what she had; Jon Stewart told her to take it there instead…and he's sorry about you getting burned by it. Which creates a new problem; neither Barry nor I can touch it without it going boom. "

"I'll be okay." Kara said after swallowing a bite of pizza.

"What do you mean boom?" Rudy asked after a few seconds of silence.

"A four megaton plasma bomb that vaporizes all living organic life in Metropolis sized blast zone with an EMP shock wave that goes from here to Mars," Bart said before picking up his slice and taking a bite.

"If what you said is true then a speedster can't touch that one or it will go off," Mary said.

"Which means someone has to break in and steal it," Rudy said.

"Don't suppose anyone knows Catwoman's number, do they?" Bart asked trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll call Jade," Artemis said with a sigh, "Granted, I'm not sure she'll want to help."

"Seriously mom, have you met my aunt?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

The room was silent for a few seconds before everyone started laughing. "And besides knowing your sister, she'll do it just for the challenge and to piss Batman off," Bart said once he got his laughter under control. "I mean come on, she grew up bad, and messing with Bats is just part of the fun for her….right.

"And to just to screw with her husband." Rudy said before getting smacked by his wife.

"Good point;" Artemis said smiling, "If anything, I may end up babysitting Lain for a long while."

"But Lian's cute, and she likes me." Kara said as they heard the doorbell.

"I got it." Bart said before zipping from the room.

"No running in the house." Artemis said after the speedster.

"He's not sorry," Rudy said before they heard a timer going off from the kitchen.

"And dinners done." Mary said with a sigh.

Kara stopped before she took another bite and asked, "Does that mean we're not having pizza?"

"Tomorrow for breakfast, not tonight," Artemis said flipping the boxes closed, "But that doesn't mean you can't finish your slice."

Kara took another bite as Barry walked in and asked, "You guys decided on pizza instead?"

'No. Bart brought these after being asked by Batman to check on Kara." Artemis said before taking the boxes into the kitchen.

"That's funny, because Batman asked me to check on Kara." he said looking towards the living room, "Bart, could you come here for a minute?"

"Someone's in trouble," Kara said munching on her crust.

"What do you need, Barry?" the younger speedster said entering the room.

"Who asked you to check on Kara?" Barry asked crossing his arms over his chest, "Because Batman asked me to check on her."

"Jon Stewart, the Hawks, Conner, Cassie, and Barbara," Bart said in a slight rush, "I was on the Watchtower when the repost about the sports shop came over the news and I said 'Way to go Kara' after Iris said Power Girl."

"You and your big mouth," Kara said before finishing her slice.

"Hey, I can't help it sometimes." Bart cried out with a pout.

Kara giggled.

"It's alright, I still love you Cousin Bart." Kara said as she walked over and hugged Bart's leg.

With that, Mary had everything ready on the table and the family sat down to dinner.


	20. Chapter Twenty: The Talk

Chapter Twenty

The Talk...

Christmas with the West family had always been a fun event, even more so this year. Between the stories, food, and just hearing her daughter laugh; Artemis knew that this was going to be one of her favorite memories…but as she stood in the kitchen of her mother's apartment on Christmas day looking at Jade, she honestly wished she was still with the Wests.

"Let me get this straight," Jade said as she looked at her sister, "You want me to break into STAR Labs and steal a crystal from them so you can bring back your lost boyfriend?"

"And get rid of Kara's speed." Artemis added.

"Give me three good reasons why I should help you." Jade said leaning back against the counter as Kara walked in.

"One; STAR Labs says their security system is impregnable." Artemis began as her daughter walked up to her. "Two; Wally is more than just my boyfriend, he's Kara's father. And three; it's Christmas."

"One; I love a challenge," Jade countered, "Two; I understand about wanting to have her father in her life, but you'll need a better reason than its Christmas for me to help you."

"Batman designed their current security system," Kara said, looking at her aunt, "Not even Nightwing can get passed it."

"She's right," Artemis said smiling, "Get past their system and you will piss both Batman and Nightwing off."

"Just for that reason alone, I'm in," Jade said smiling, "Under one condition."

"How many months of babysitting do you want me to do?" Artemis asked as she thought she knew what her sister was going to say.

"Oh…you're not babysitting," Jade said walking up to her sister, "You're helping me break in."

"Are you insane?" Artemis asked.

"No; but if I'm doing this, then I want someone I can trust watching my back." Jade replied with a smug look on her face, "So what's it going to be….Alice? Do you want my help or not?"

Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before sighing then said, "Fine. I'll help."

"Do you really need my mom's help, Aunt Jade?" Kara asked looking at her aunt.

"I'll bring her back in one piece, Kara. Don't worry." Jade replied looking at her niece, "Now what's this I hear from Roy about you taking out your grandfather?"

"He's not my grandfather!" Kara semi-shouted before leaving the room.

"Don't push the issue," Artemis said looking at the kitchen door, "She's had a bad past couple of days."

"What all happened?" Jade asked.

"Roy knows what happened," Artemis said before sitting in a chair, "So when do you want to break into STAR Labs?"

"You two are going to do what?" Paula asked as she entered the room.

"Break into STAR Labs." Jade said casually.

"Does Roy know you two are doing this?" their mother asked.

"He and Barry said they would try to get it set up so it's a mock break in to test Batman's security system." Artemis said sighing.

"But they won't know what day we're going to do this," Jade said as she started to formulate a plan, "And I think I know the perfect way to do it."

"I'm starting to think asking you for help with this WAS a bad idea." Artemis said looking at her sister.

"You want him back or not?" Jade asked sitting across from her. "And how many of your friends know we're going to do this?"

"Besides Wally's parents; Bart, Roy, and Barry." Artemis replied.

"Could you two stop talking shop long enough to set the table and give me a hand with this bird?" Paula asked.

"Sure mom." Artemis said as the two sisters got up.

As Jade set the table, Artemis walked over and blinked as she saw the size of the turkey. "Where did you get that?" she asked surprised.

"It was given to Roy by a friend of his; Conner, I believe he said." Paula replied grabbing the oven mitts, "I almost dropped it putting it in the oven."

"Hold that thought," Artemis said going over and opening the kitchen door, "Hey sweetie, can you come here for a minute?"

Kara got off the couch and walked over asking, "Sure thing mom. What do you need?" Artemis pointed at the oven saying, "You're grandmother needs that out of the oven."

"Ok," the young girl said before heading into the kitchen as someone knocked on the door. Artemis walked over and opened the door to find Zatara and Zatanna standing there.

"Merry Christmas guys, what brings you two here?" she asked surprised.

"Merry Christmas, Artemis," the elder magician said smiling, "We thought we'd come and spend today with you and Kara."

"And yes, we brought more food." Zatanna said indicating a picnic basket she was holding.

"Ok, come on in," the blonde said stepping to the side so they could enter, "The kitchen is through that door over there. Zee, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Zatanna said before handing the basket to her father.

She waited until he had left the room before said, "No."

Artemis blinked before saying, "I haven't asked you anything yet."

"You're going to try and bring Wally back," Zatanna said crossing her arms, "I'm not helping you try and get that crystal."

"I'm not asking you to help me get the crystal back," Artemis said looking at her friend, "I was going to ask if you could watch Kara sometime over the next few days."

"So you can go after that crystal?" Zatanna asked.

"You can't even be sure I'm going after that crystal." Artemis said getting frustrated.

"Then why do you want me to watch Kara?" the magician asked.

"She challenged Jade to do something Nightwing can't do and that is get past the new STAR Labs security system." Roy said from where he and Lian were sitting on the couch, "Jade won't do it unless Artemis helps."

"Told you," Artemis said looking at her friend, "So will you?"

"I can, but wouldn't it make more sense to just let Mr. and Mrs. West watch her?" Zatanna asked.

"Mom just wants to make sure nothing bad happens," Kara said walking up, "And I think Zatara is flirting with Grandma Paula."

"He's what?" the two friends said looking at the girl before they heard laughter coming from the kitchen. They quickly walked over and looked inside to see the elder magician seemed to be doing just that.

"Hey Artemis, are your parents divorced?" Zatanna asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, why?" the blonde asked.

"Just wondering," the magician shrugged before walking back to the living room.

"I think it would be cool if they got together." Kara said sitting on the couch.

"Oh is that so?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

"Is what so?" Jade asked entering the room.

"Kara thinks it would be cool if your mom got together with Zatanna's father." Roy stated.

"Uh, no," she said looking at her niece, "I don't think so."

"Oh why not?" the young girl asked.

"Mom does not need someone that can literally disappear when the dishes need to be done," Jade said sitting in a chair.

"Actually…he makes the dishes wash themselves." Zatanna said with a smile, "It's kind of fun to watch."

"I used to time Wally to see how fast he could get them done." Artemis said sitting next to her daughter.

"Least it's better than what Nightwing used to do," Zatanna said with a laugh, "He'd purposely hid Wally's snacks all over the cave and time how long it took to find them. He never did find that one chocolate bar though."

"I think I know what happened to it." Jade said glancing at her sister.

"Those were some good s'mores that night." Artemis said smiling.

"Hold that thought," Zatanna said pulling her phone out.

"You had a bet going with Nightwing, didn't you?" Artemis asked.

"Yup," the magician said hitting a few buttons.

"What are you talking about?" Paula asked as her and Zatara entered the room.

"I bet Nightwing fifty that Wally would never find the one candy bar once." Zatanna said before putting her phone away.

"Mom made s'mores with it." Kara said looking at her grandmother, "By the way…..what's a s'more?"

The room was silent for a few seconds before Paula said, "Next time you see your father, Artemis, punch him once for me."

"Dad's in the hospital ward of the jail because someone broke his jaw in nine places." Jade stated.

"I didn't think I hit him that hard," Kara said looking at the floor. "I'll explain as we eat,"

Zatara quickly interjected, "Dinner's ready."

"I want to hear this story," Paula said as they went back into the kitchen.

For about the next hour, everyone listened and ate as Artemis recounted the sports store incident.

Once she finished, Paula looked at her granddaughter in sheer amazement and asked, "She actually did all that?"

"I got grounded for it," Kara said laying her head on her mother's shoulder.

"How long is she grounded?" Roy asked.

"Till the end of the year," Artemis replied before gently lifting her daughter up onto her lap.

"So how did it feel clocking your granddad like that." Jade asked with a smug smile.

"Kind of good and he's NOT my granddad, he's a meanie *hic*." Kara started to say before covering her mouth with her hand.

"Did she just squeak?" Zatanna asked smiling.

"I think she has the hiccups," Artemis said before her daughter hiccupped again.

"She sounds like a mouse," Roy said with a slight laugh. Kara glared at her uncle before hiccupping again.

"Piece of advice, Roy," Zatara said looking at the redheaded archer, "Don't call Kara a mouse."

"Let one of the other members of your little team do that and watch what happens first," Jade said before handing her niece a glass of water.

"Actually, they're calling her Power Girl." Zatanna said.

"Why are they calling her that?" Paula asked.

"Bart and his big mouth," Artemis and Kara said in unison.

"Say no more," Paula said as she started to clear the table.

"Let me help, Paula," Roy said as he stood up.

"Thank you Roy," she said before looking at Jade with a smile, "You trained him well, Jade."

"Jade didn't train him," Kara said putting the glass on the table, "Black Canary already did that."

"No comment." Artemis muttered as her and Zatanna tried not to laugh.

"Ollie trained me." Roy said. He put the dishes in the sink before he realized what he just said.

"You should've quit while you were ahead, Roy." Paula said before her daughters and Zatanna started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Kara asked causing everyone to laugh harder.

"We'll tell you when you're older, little one," Zatara said shaking his head slightly, "We'll tell you when you're older."

"On second thought, don't ever tell me," Kara said after a few seconds thought, "I never want to know."


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Phone Issues

Chapter Twenty- One

Phone Issues...

After getting the ok from Batman and STAR Labs to do the mock break in, Artemis quickly set about getting everything set up. It was New Year's Eve by the time her and Jade were finally ready. One thing that had changed from the original plan was that Kara was going to spend the night with Zatanna at her place. The reasoning behind this was that it gave both Mary and Rudy some time alone, but it also allowed Kara a change in surroundings for the night. After dropping the young girl off and spending almost twenty minutes saying goodbye, Kara hugged the stuffed doll of her mother's hero persona Tigress tighter.

"She'll be back tomorrow, Kara. Don't worry." Zatanna said trying to comfort the young girl.

"We haven't been apart since I moved in with her." Kara said quietly.

"I understand, Kara. I really do." Zatanna said looking at her friend, "Now, how about we go put your stuff in your room for the night? And can you explain to me why I'm not to let you near my den?"

"I like reading better then TV." the young girl said picking up her overnight bag.

"And if I let you see the amount of books I own, I will never get you out of there. Got it," Zatanna said as the two walked towards the guest room.

"Depending on the books…" Kara said with a shrug.

"Mostly spell books," the magician replied glancing at her friend, "I do have some that are science fiction, fantasy, and a couple of romance. Granted, Wally did get me into this one series."

"What one?" Kara asked sounding intrigued.

"It's called Doctor Who." Zatanna said opening a door, "And this is where you'll be for the night. If you need me, I'm right across the hall."

"Thank you, Zee…why is it called Doctor Who?" Kara asked putting her bag on the bed.

"Because no one knows his actual name," Zatanna replied leaning on the doorframe, "He just goes by Doctor. I know you said you don't like TV, but I do have a couple of DVD's of it if you want to watch at least one of the episodes."

"Ok." Kara said walking towards her friend.

"Then how about we order something and watch it over dinner?" Zatanna asked smiling.

"Sure," the young girl replied before hearing a knock on the front door, "Are you expecting company?"

"No. It's supposed to be just us tonight." Zatanna said before heading to the front door.

Kara put her doll with her bag before following and whispered, "Henshin."

The magician looked back to see Kara's gear appear before looking back towards the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"Movie night." three familiar voices replied before laughing.

Zatanna opened the door to find Cassie, M'gann and Barbara standing on her steps smiling before saying, "Didn't you guys get my message? We can't tonight."

"No offense, Zee," Barbara said as her smile disappeared, "but, after the day I've had; I need this or I'm going to castrate Dick."

"Less." Kara called out before giggling.

"Oh, he's going to be once I get my hands on him, Kara." the redhead replied with a slight, evil smile.

"Besides, it's your turn to host the New Year's Eve sleepover." Cassie whined.

"Five in the jar," Zatanna said looking at the Amazon teen.

"I'm putting fifty in tonight because I'm probably going to be complaining about that idiot for a while." Barbara said trying to stay calm.

"Other than keep it clean, why is Kara here?" M'gann asked.

"Artemis asked me to watch her tonight," Zatanna said with a sigh, "I sent you all a message about it."

"Dick hacked our phones," Cassie said holding up her phone. "The only way to unlock them is to beat all twenty arcade games he put on them."

"Twenty?" Zatanna asked not sure if she heard the number right.

"Yeah, and you might want to check yours." M'gann said.

"If he hacked my phone, I'll kill him," the magician said, pulling out her phone and checking it, "….and….. he's a dead man."

"So you want to help us come up with a plan on how to get even?" Cassie asked.

Kara looked at each of her friends before looking down and quietly said, "I guess we're not watching Doctor Who."

"Oh we're watching it," Zatanna said looking at the young girl then the others, "I'm not dealing with him or any of his crap tonight. We will figure out a way to get even with him tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Barbara said with a slight smile, "So why are you going to watch Doctor Who?"

"Kara's never seen it," Zatanna said letting the other in, "We were going to watch an episode after ordering dinner."

"In that case, I'll go get the TV ready." Barbara said before heading to the living room.

"I'll go get our stuff from the car." Cassie said before heading back outside.

"And it looks like I'm running to the store from some pizzas and drinks then." Zatanna said before tossing her phone on the table next to the door.

"Don't you have a land line phone?" M'gann asked.

"Unfortunately no," the magician replied with a shake of her head, "…beginning to think I should get one."

"Ok, see you soon; I'll be alright here with Cassie, Barb, Zatanna and M'gann," Kara said smiling. The three looked over to see the young girl close what looked like a holo-screen.

"How did you get a hold of one of Nightwing wrist comps, Kara?" M'gann asked surprised.

The young girl shook her head as she showed them what looked like a wrist watch before saying, "I didn't, Barbara made this for me. It's got eight times the memory, is forty times faster, and half the size of the one Nightwing uses. Plus it lets me call some of the League and team members if I need to."

"I knew I liked her for a reason." Zatanna said.

"So who did you call?" M'gann asked as Cassie walked in carrying a small stack of blankets and pillows.

"I called Diana and told her what Nightwing did," Kara said, smiling at her friends. "She said she'd take care of it and is going to have someone do a food run for us."

"I think Kara just got even for all of us." Cassie said after a few seconds of silence.

"That's the second time she's done that," Zatanna said before picking the girl up, "Have I ever told you I love having you as a niece?"

"Nope," Kara said smiling.

"Well, I do," Zatanna said giving her a hug before they headed into the living room.

"Which one do you want to start with, Zee?" Barbara asked looking at them.

"Let's start with the first episode of the Ninth Doctor once the food gets here and you are a lifesaver." the magician replied sitting on a couch.

"Thanks for my wrist comp watch, Babs," Kara said at the redheads slightly puzzled look.

"You're welcome," Barbara said sitting in a chair, "So what is Artemis doing tonight?"

"Helping Aunt Jade break into STAR Labs," Kara replied bluntly.

"Why is Jade trying to break into STAR Labs?" Cassie asked.

"Batman helped designed their current system and to piss Batman and Nightwing off," Kara replied bluntly.

"I understand the part about challenging the system, but why is Artemis helping Jade?" M'gann asked.

"It was the only way Aunt Jade would agree to it." the young girl said before hearing a series of knocks on the front door.

"And that would be Bart." Cassie said before the speedster zipped into the room.

"So what brings you here, Bart?" Barbara asked.

"Thought you guys might need a food run made and Roy asked me to make sure you were ok." he said.

"He could've called." she said quietly.

Cassie quickly grabbed her lasso and tossed it around him then asked, "What's the real reason you're here?"

"Like I said, Roy asked me to make sure Kara was ok since Nightwing hacked all the League and team's phones." he said before pulling out a black device and tossing it to Barbara, "Robin said hook your phones to that and it will clear out those games."

"And what about the food run part?" Zatanna asked.

"Barry's got the night off so I'm playing the part of messenger until the phones are back up," he said looking at the magician, "And I was going to stop for a quick bite and thought you might want something."

"Sorry about interrogating you, Bart." Cassie said before taking her lasso off him.

"Its fine," he said smiling a little, "So is there anything you guys want while I'm waiting for the device?"

"Chinese sound good?" Barbara asked plugging her phone into the device.

"Please no," Kara said with a slight shudder.

"Barry said she's not a fan." Bart explained.

"How about we just order pizza?" M'gann asked.

"That works," Kara said smiling a little.

"Alright, five pizzas coming up," the speedster said before zooming off.

"He's kind of a dork." Kara said after a few seconds.

"So was Wally to an extent, guess it comes from Iris and Rudy's DNA, the West side of the line." Barbara said before tossing the device over to Zatanna, "Hey is it me, or does Nightwing seem a little more annoying lately?"

"Define lately," M'gann said leaning back in her chair, "But I get what you mean. He has been acting stranger than usual."

"Come to think of it, he's been acting like this since the Christmas Party." Zatanna said plugging her phone in.

"Do you think it's because mom told him who I am?" Kara asked looking at the magician.

"I don't think that's it," Cassie said as Barbara's phone went off.

"Speak of the devil," the redhead said before putting the call on speaker, "Why did you hack the phones, Dick?"

"Wally and I used to prank each other to see who could get the last laugh of the year." they heard the former team leader say.

"Yeah well you ticked off the League this year." Zatanna said before handing the device to M'gann.

"Sorry about that," he said a little sheepishly, "I was trying to get Tim."

Kara got up from her seat and walked over before saying, "Um, excuse me Dick. This is Kara, Artemis's daughter. My mom is currently helping a friend right now and if she can't get a hold of me; what do you think she is going to do to when she finds out it's because of you?"

The line was silent for a few seconds before they heard him say, "The phones will be back to normal in less than three minutes."

"Thank you." she said before ending the call.

"Oh she's good." Cassie said smiling.

"She awesome like her mom," Zatanna said as Bart reappeared holding five pizza boxes.

"If you think she's awesome now, wait till she gets older;" he said putting four of the boxes on the coffee table, "Awesome doesn't begin to describe her."

"What do you mean by that?" M'gann asked before the speedster zoomed off again.

"I wonder what he meant by that." Kara said quietly.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Fandom

Chapter Twenty-Two

Fandom...

Kara smiled as she saw her mother enter Zatanna's living room the next morning.

"Hi mom." she said waving at her mother.

"Hello sweetie." Artemis said picking her daughter up and sitting down on the couch with her in her lap.

"So how did the mock break in go?" Zatanna asked looking over at her friend.

"Jade got made as soon as she got within five feet of the building," the blonde replied with a sigh, "Batman said we have until Monday to try and get past his security. After that it's business as usual. So what happened here?"

"Well let's see," the magician said as she started to count what all happened on her fingers, "Cassie, M'gann and Barbara showed up for our annual New Year's Eve sleepover; found out Dick hacked the entire League and team's phones so everyone had to beat twenty arcade games to unlock them; Kara put the fear of you and your sister into him; I think Bart knows more about Kara then he's letting on, and I think I may have created a monster."

"How did you create a monster?" Artemis asked.

"She didn't," M'gann said entering the room carrying a box of donuts, "She created a Whovian."

Artemis looked at her daughter a little surprised and asked, "You like Doctor Who?"

"So far," Kara said with a nod. "We got past disc one before I had to head to bed."

"She wants to build her own Sonic Screwdriver." M'gann said putting the box on the coffee table and flipping it open.

"Wally went and bought a Sonic Screwdriver remote control for the TV." Artemis said smiling.

"They actually made those?" Kara asked surprised.

"You would be surprised what all Doctor Who merchandise is out there," Zatanna answered with a slight laugh, "But other than that, nothing happened here."

"No offense, but I wish I would've been here last night." Artemis said grabbing a donut.

"Same here," Kara said laying her head on her mother's shoulder, "Can we watch the next disc?"

"As soon as Cassie wakes up and Babs gets back from the electronics store." Zatanna said grabbing a donut.

"Fantastic." the young girl said smiling.

"Did you start her with the first doctor or the ninth?" Artemis asked before taking a bite.

"I only have Ninth Doctor so far," the magician said as Cassie entered the room.

"Morning guys," the amazon said before grabbing a donut, "So how did it go?"

"You don't want to know," Artemis said before another bite, "So why did Babs run to the electronic store?"

"Robin was able to build a device that undid Dick's little prank," Mg'ann said sitting down, "It burned out before Cassie and I could use it. Plus Kara wants to build her own Sonic Screwdriver."

"I'd like to try and get it to work with my wrist comp." Kara said picking a donut up and taking a bite, "This is different."

"Never had a donut before?" Cassie asked before finishing off her donut.

The young girl shook her head as Artemis said, "Mary usually cooks breakfast, and even before we moved in with them I cooked. As it stands, Kara's not really big into sweets."

"That's surprising." Zatanna said looking at Kara.

"I know and believe it or not, she doesn't really have Wally metabolism, I mean she eats a lot…..but NOTHING like her father." Artemis said as they heard the front door open.

"Hey, I'm back," Barbara said as she walked into the room carrying a couple of bags, "And I'm not going to ask about how the STAR Labs thing went. I already heard from Robin."

"Thank you," Artemis said with a slight smile, "We saved you a couple of donuts."

"Thanks, and this is yours Kara." the redhead said handing a bag to the young girl.

"Fantastic," Kara said before opening it and looking inside.

"What are you doing?" Cassie asked watching the young girl.

"Spelunking for pork rinds," Kara replied glancing up for a brief second.

"So, we ready for the next disc?" Barbara asked after grabbing a donut and sitting on the couch.

"Well that depends," Zatanna said picking up the remote, "What's the status on the phones?"

"Whatever Dick did is causing some major problems, cause half of both the League and team are still down and he's having problems trying to undo it," Barbara said before taking a bite, "Robin built another device and sent me the plans so I can make a couple more. It shouldn't take me more than an hour to get them built."

"The GREAT Dick Grayson is having trouble undoing a hack….dang." M'gann said with a laugh.

"The devices first, then disc two," Artemis said leaning back against the couch.

"Can I try and build my Sonic screwdriver then?" Kara asked.

"Only if I can help., Artemis said.

"You know where the dining room is," Zatanna said standing up, "I'll go make some coffee."

"Can I have some orange juice please?" Kara asked standing up.

"You got it." the magician said before leaving the room.

"Think she can build a working Sonic Screwdriver?" Cassie asked as the others left the room.

"It that girl is anything like Wally, she will." M'gann said before heading to the kitchen.

After getting everything set up in the dining room, Barbara and Kara set to work on their creations. By the time Zatanna entered with a couple of mugs of coffee and a glass of orange juice, the redhead of the group had finished the first of the two devices and had handed it to M'gann.

"How's it coming?" Zatanna asked placing the mugs on the table.

"Got the one done." Barbara said while working on the other.

"I think I got it." Kara said attaching the last piece to her creation.

Artemis smiled as her daughter saying, "Not bad, Kara. Looks like the one the ninth doctor uses."

The young girl smiled as Zatanna said, "Be cool if it actually works like it does on the show."

"It should if I have it linked up right." Kara said looking at her friend.

"Well let's find out," Artemis said placing her phone on the table.

"You're going to let her try that out on your phone?" M'gann asked surprised.

"I trust her." the blonde archer said before the familiar sound of the Sonic Screwdriver filled the room for a few seconds. As soon as the sound ended, Artemis phone started ringing.

"Hey, it's grandma." Kara said handing the phone to her mother.

Artemis kicked her phone on speaker and said, "Hey mom. What's up?"

"I need your help." Paula said.

"Ok, what's wrong?" Artemis asked sounding a little worried.

"I have a date tonight and I'm not sure what to wear." her mother replied.

"You have a date?" Artemis asked unsure if she heard her mother right.

"Yes…I have a date." Paula relied.

"Are you going out with Zatanna's dad, grandma?" Kara asked smiling.

"Yes, I am Kara," Paula said sounding happy, "Giovanni called yesterday and asked me out for dinner tonight."

"Who?" Artemis and her daughter asked.

"My dad," Zatanna said with a slight laugh, "I hope you two have fun."

"Thank you Zatanna." Paula said sounding a little at ease.

"Uh mom, no offense, but do you really think you should be going out on a da-"

"Don't you dare try and say she shouldn't date," Zatanna said cutting her friend off, "I think it's a good idea that the two got together. And if you or your sister try and stop them, I will turn you both into rabbits for a month."

"Date on New Year's Day," Artemis said glaring at her friend, "I don't have a problem with my mom dating. Just the day she's doing it."

"Artemis," she her mother saying, "Truth, or I'll have Kara use her lasso on you."

"I don't want you getting hurt." the blonde said after a few seconds.

"Giovanni is not your father," Paula said calmly, "And if anything, I can have Jade make it look like it was an accident."

"I hope not," Kara said sounding a little worried, "I think it would be great that you and Grandpa Gio got together."

It was Paula's turn to sound surprised as she asked, "Grandpa Gio?"

"Short version; Zee and her dad adopted Kara after she freed him from Fate via a poker game." Artemis said with a slight laugh at the memory.

"Well, I'm glad she did free him." Paula replied with a slight sigh.

"Same here, Mrs. Crock," Zatanna said smiling.

"Anyway, why don't you wear the red dress in your closet?" Artemis asked.

"Good choice," Zatanna said looking at her friend, "Red's actually his favorite color."

"Just be sure to be home by ten." Artemis said in a teasing tone.

"And he's not allowed to stay over till after the third date…I think that's what I've seen on TV." M'gann chirped in.

"M'GANN!" Artemis and Zatanna yelled looking at the Martian, each with a horrified look on their faces.

"Seriously M'gann, I did not need that image in my head." Barbara said with a shudder as she finished the second device.

"Sorry." the Martian said turning a little red.

"You guys are weird." Kara said shaking her head slightly.

"Very funny," Paula said not sounding amused in the least, "And FYI: if I do have him spend the night, you will never know." Artemis looked at her phone in shock as the call ended.

"Other than I really never want to know about that, I honestly hope he makes her happy," she said before putting her phone away, "Considering the crap dad put her through, she deserves some happiness in her life."

Kara looked at her mother for a few seconds before saying, "I think he likes her too much to make her unhappy."

Artemis paused to think about what her daughter had just said. "Well….we'll see, but I'd better let Jade know about your threat, Zee."

With that Artemis headed out to call her sister while the other girls in the house laughed.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Training

Chapter Twenty- Three

Training...

Kara pulled her knees to her chest and sighed as she watched Robin spar against Nightwing. At her mother's request, the young girl started training with some of the different League and team members at the start New Year to help hone her self-defense skills. While she enjoyed working with some of them, there were very few she didn't care for. Not because she didn't like the person, it was because she hated using weapons. Just the thought of having to use them reminded her of her mother's dad.

She gave her head a quick shake in an attempt to clear her thoughts when she heard someone sit next to her.

"Are you ok, Kara?" Kaldur asked looking at her.

"I guess," she said with a shrug, "Do I have to learn weapons?"

"Artemis thinks it might be a good idea if you did," he said calmly, "I take it there's a reason for that question."

She was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Mom's dad."

"I see," he said looking back towards the practice duel.

"I understand that mom uses hers to defend," she said shifting her gaze to the floor, "But he's used his to hurt people. But I don't like hurting people."

"That's because you have a kind heart," he said looking at her, "Most people like Sportsmaster…hurt people because they want power over them."

"You mean they're bullies?" she asked looking at him.

He nodded and said, "Yes, and the League was created to protect people from them and to protect each other."

"Like a family." she said smiling a little.

"You are correct," he said with a nod, "We are a family in a way."

"And mom said to never let any of you borrow money from me," she said looking at the practice area in time to see Robin knock Nightwing down.

"Fail Nightwing"

"Oh he's good." she said amazed.

"With luck…and enough training, you will become just as good." Kaldur said as they watched Robin help Nightwing up.

She slowly nodded before asking, "Who's supposed to be training me?"

"The one that helped train us." he said pointing over towards the Zeta tubes. She looked over to see Black Canary and La'gaan walking towards her.

"Why is he here?" she asked as her smile faded.

"A sparring partner perhaps," Kaldur said before they got to their feet.

"Sorry for not getting here sooner, Kara." Black Canary apologized.

"It's ok," Kara said looking a little leery at La'gaan, "Are you teaching me or is it?"

"Names Lagoon Boy, little fish." La'gaan said glaring at the girl.

"Call me little again, and you'll wish you never had." she replied coldly.

"La'gaan will be helping me assess what areas you need help in." Black Canary said stepping between the two.

"Fine by me," Kara said before cracking her knuckles. She walked over to the middle of the practice area and asked, "With or without weapons?"

"Hand to hand only for now." Black Canary replied as she watched La'gaan walk over.

"Black Canary, forgive me, but I don't think letting her face La'gaan is a good idea." Kaldur said as he watched the two get ready.

"I agree," she said calmly watching Kara, "But from what Artemis has said, Kara knows almost everything she does."

"Very true; just going off her stance alone, she won't be holding back." he said crossing his arms.

She gave a slight nod to acknowledge what he said before calling out, "Begin."

In the amount of time it took La'gaan to throw a kick aimed at the girls head, Kara turned as she grabbed his ankle and shoved it behind her.

"Fail Lagoon Boy," the computer announced as soon as the Atlantian hit the ground in a full split.

He let out a high pitched squeal as he slowly leaned forward till his forehead was on the ground.

"I think it's safe to say that she knows how to dictate the terms of the battle." Kaldur said as he flinched in pain.

"I agree," Black Canary said before they walked over, "You ok, La'gaan?"

The Atlantean slowly shook his head before trying to stand.

"Sorry." Kara said nervously as she bit her lip.

"I'll take him to the infirmary." Kaldur said helping his fellow team member up.

"I'm sorry," Kara said trying to hold back tears.

"It's ok, Kara," Black Canary said kneeling in front of the girl, "Accidents like that happen. Why didn't you try and throw a punch?"

"Last time I threw a punch was when I shattered the one Terror Twins knee." Kara replied looking at the ground.

"I see," Black Canary said looking away for a brief second, "Can you control your strength?"

"Still working on it a little," Kara said looking at her hands, "I hate my powers."

"Why do you say that?" Black Canary asked, sitting on the floor.

"Cause I'll hurt my mom if I hug her too hard." the young girl said as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Kara, its ok," Black Canary said taking the girls hand is hers, "Any team or League member with your kind of strength will tell you they have the same fear. It took a little while for Conner to understand that."

"But he didn't have the electric problem I do." Kara said as her tears fell freely.

"I get what she means, Dinah," a familiar voice said from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the Flash standing there.

"Hi Barry." she said wiping a tear away.

"Hey Kara." he said walking over and sitting next to her.

"So what does she mean?" his fellow League member asked.

"A lot of Kara's strength comes from her ability to generate energy," he said looking at the blonde, "Without even thinking about it, she transfers that energy to her muscles and it increases her strength. The crystal that GL gave her actually syphons off that energy. Her biggest problem is when she taps into the Speed Force. Every time she does, she creates three times the energy she normally does."

"And Zatanna said those crystals are dangerous if they turn white." Kara said looking at her friend.

"But you not having one is just as dangerous for you," he said holding up her necklace with a new pendant attached, "Jon went and got you a few more until the League can figure out a way to get your ability under control. Just make sure you let us know when it turns white."

"I will and thank you." she said taking the necklace and putting it on. The crystal started to glow a soft blue as soon as it touched the girl's hand.

"Feel better?" he asked.

She nodded before smiling brightly and said, "Yup."

"That's good," he said before looking at Black Canary, "I am surprised that Artemis isn't here helping you out, Dinah."

"Mom's trying to break into STAR Labs with Aunt Jade in order to test their security." Kara said before they heard the Zeta Tube start up.

"Recognized: Tigress; B-Zero Seven," the computer announced as Artemis appeared covered in what looked like green slime.

"I really hate that guy sometimes." she said before heading towards the locker room.

"She's mad." Barry said with a sigh.

Kara flew over to her mom and asked, "You ok, mom?"

"I will be after a shower." Artemis said with a sigh.

"No offense, but you kind of stink." the young girl said holding her nose closed.

"Blame Batman." the blonde said before heading down a hall.

Kara waited a few seconds before flying beck over to the others.

"She'll be ok, Kara. Don't worry." Black Canary said before standing up.

"I know, Black Canary," Kara said as she landed next to them.

"Call me Dinah when we're on the Watchtower or I'm not in my uniform," Black Canary said smiling, "Now how about we see if we can't get some practice in before your mom gets back?"

"Sure, Dinah," Kara said returning the smile.

Over the course of the next hour, the two League members walked the girl through the basic self-defense moves. Something that surprised the two was how fast Kara was picking everything up. In the past, Dinah would have to go over the moves a few times with certain members of the team to make sure they got it, but Kara was different. Once she saw the move, she could perform it perfectly. By the time Artemis had joined them, the young girl was holding her own against a practice drone.

"Oh she's good," the blonde said as she watched her daughter.

"Extremely," Dinah said with a slight smile, "The biggest challenge so far has been trying to keep her speed in check, but Barry's been helping with that."

Artemis nodded slightly before asking, "How many of those drones have you gone through?"

"Including this one?" Dinah said before they watched Kara put her fist through the drone's head, "Eighteen. I thought it might be better starting her off like this instead of having her face actual people. She already made La'gaan do the splits."

"Please tell me someone recorded that." Artemis said trying not to laugh.

"I did," Barry said walking up, "Still hurts to watch."

"I'll take your word for it," Artemis said as her daughter walked over, "Did you have fun, sweetie?"

Kara nodded as she said, "Yup, I liked smashing the robots."

"At least one of us had fun." Artemis said with a sigh.

"What were you covered in?" Dinah asked.

"Some sort of slime that hardens the closer a person gets to STAR Labs," Artemis replied looking at her friend, "Batman came up with it."

"Are you going to try again?" Kara asked hopefully.

"I still have two more days to try and get in there, so yeah I am," Artemis said picking her daughter up, "Now are you ready to go home?"

Kara nodded before saying, "Yup, I just need to go change first."

"Then you might want to hurry, I'm kind of hungry." Artemis said before watching her daughter fly off.

"Kara was able to do every move I showed her as if she had been doing them for years." Dinah said after a few seconds.

"No offense, but that almost doesn't surprise me," Artemis said looking the direction her daughter went, "She has a near identic memory and can remember almost everything she reads."

"She also hates her powers," Dinah stated turning to face the former archer.

"I know," Artemis said quietly, "Between dad's opinion on the League and Godfrey's, she honestly hates what she can do. She's even stated if we can open a portal to the Speed Force, she would be willing to give up her speed just to bring Wally home."

"Which is why you're trying to break into STAR Labs," Barry said looking at her, "You need that crystal to bring him back."

She nodded before saying, "And Batman said if I can get my hands on it, he won't stop me from doing it."

"And there's something else you need to understand about Kara," he said calmly, "Her speed is tied directly to her ability to generate energy."

She turned to face him as she asked, "You mean to tell me she will lose two abilities instead of one?"

He nodded saying, "If she loses her speed, then she will stop generating energy; which means she won't need those crystals. But it also means she won't be as strong as she is now."

"Then I have to get in there." she said closing her eyes.

"Not without me," Kara said hopping onto her mother's back and surprising her, "That's one of my crystals after all. Plus I have an idea on how to get in."

"Oh really, and just what is your plan?" Artemis asked looking over her shoulder at the girl.

Kara smiled before saying, "We give it a bug."


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: A Bug

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Bug...

"We're going to give it a bug?" Jade asked unsure of what she just heard.

"Yeah, it's my kid's idea." Artemis replied. The two shared a brief glance before looking at STAR Labs from their spot on a nearby roof top.

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Jade asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Artemis said as they turned to see the Super cycle land a few feet behind them, "And she brought Superboy, Blue Beetle and Wolf."

"Whoa, what's Cheshire doing here?" Blue Beetle asked as he and the others got off the Super Cycle.

"Long story," Kara asked hoping off the bike wearing a backpack, "Sorry it took so long getting here."

"Its fine," Jade said looking at her niece, "I still want to know how you plan on giving this thing a bug." Kara took her backpack off long enough to pull out a pair of googles that looked like the ones Kid Flash used and put them on saying, "I asked Robin to take a look at the security system and we found a flaw."

"Which is?" her mother asked.

Kara zipped her bag shut and pulled it back on and said, "Batman placed motion sensors in the walls and has the floor pressure rigged in the corridor leading to where the crystal is."

"Making it impossible for anyone to get through," Jade said.

"There is no such thing as impossible, just the improbable" Kara said walking over to the edge of the building.

"Did she just quote Sherlock Homes?" Blue Beetle asked.

"You get used to it with her, just ask Virgil," Conner said as he walked over, "So what's the flaw?"

"The only things that won't trip the sensors are the security drones that patrol the building," Kara said pulling the googles down.

"So we catch one and use that to sneak in. Good plan except you forgot two minor details," Jade said leaning against the edge of the building, "You're going to have to catch one, and those things are a little too small for us to fit in."

"But that's not the plan." Kara said as she turned her googles on.

"Ok then, what's the plan?" Artemis asked.

"That's why I brought my Sonic Screwdriver," the young girl said smiling, "Found a drone."

"Yeah, those are easy to spot." Jade said sound a little sarcastic.

Kara pushed her googles back up and said, "And I'm really sorry about this."

Before for anyone could ask what she meant, Kara quickly pulled what looked like a black disc out of her back pocket and threw it at the drone.

"If you're trying to destroy it, it won't work," Jade said looking at her niece, "We've tried that."

"Not trying to destroy it." Kara said bringing her wrist comp's screen up.

She pressed a few buttons as Conner said, "You're trying to control it."

"Robin thinks the drones are linked together via a main security hub," she said calmly, "So Batgirl reconfigured a ghost virus for us to use."

"What's a ghost virus?" Blue Beetle asked.

"It makes the security system not see us," she said closing her screen, "Virus just went active and we don't have a lot of time."

They quickly boarded the Super cycle and flew towards their target.

"Hope you have a map of where we're going inside this thing, kid." Jade said as they got closer.

"Why? We have a guide." Kara said with a smile.

Before Jade could ask what she meant, the drone she threw the disc at met them at the loading bay doors. It opened the doors and turned to face them.

"See you in a few, Superboy." Kara said before picking her mother up and flying inside followed by Blue Beetle carrying Jade and the drone.

"Well how do you like that?" Jade asked as her and her sister was placed on the ground, "It took my niece and a bug to get us inside."

"Oh we're not done yet," Kara said pulling two watches out of her bag and handing them to her aunt and mother, "Put these on."

"Let me guess, this will make us ghost." Artemis said as she and her sister put them on.

"At least to the cameras and Blue doesn't need one since he can give off the same energy signature." Kara replied.

"Question," Blue Beetle said looking at the little girl, "I understand why you, Cheshire and Tigress are here. But why did you bring me along?"

"Cannon fodder," Kara said with a shrug, "Your armor is basically indestructible."

"Great," he said not sounding happy.

"Enough with talk guys, we need to get moving," Jade said.

"Ok. Lead the way, K-9." Kara said looking towards the drone. The drone turned and started to lead them through the building. It stopped just short of one of the corridors and turned to face them.

"And this is that hall you told us about earlier, right?" Jade asked looking at her niece.

"Yup," Kara said with a nod.

"Scarab says there's a junction box around the next corner that controls the sensors here, but it's not on part of the security system." Blue remarked

"How far around the corner is it?" Artemis asked looking at him.

"Fifty feet," he replied, "Ten feet after that is your target."

"So how do you plan on getting past this?" Jade asked.

"You really don't want to know." Kara said with a slight giggle as she pulled a white bed sheet from her bag and flipped it over her.

"Are you serious?" Jade asked as she watched her niece.

"Yup." the young girl said before flying down the hall.

"That's not possible." Jade said before they heard a strange sound briefly.

"Believe it." Artemis said before her daughter walked to the middle of the hall and motioned for them to follow. They walked over to where Kara was standing as Jade asked, "How in the world did you do that?"

"She'll explain later," Artemis said checking her watch, "We're running out of time." They quickly made it to the end of the hall where a large vault door stood.

"This is not good," Blue Beetle said as he looked the door over, "Hope one of you has a security card, because we're going to need that just to get to the finger print, retinal, and voice analyzers."

Jade let out a low whistle before saying, "Looks like Bats went all out on this one."

"I don't even think my Sonic Screwdriver can get passed this." Kara said looking at her mom.

"We may not need your Sonic Screwdriver." Artemis said as she knelt in front of her daughter.

"You have a way to bypass all of this?" Jade asked as she watched her sister switch what looked like the crystal in her niece's necklace with a different one.

Artemis smiled as she stood up and placed the crystal on top of the card scanner. "Blue, set your sonic cannon at frequency 9.6 and target that crystal." she said before taking her daughter's hand and walking a few feet away.

Jade quickly followed and stood next to her relatives as they watched the armored teen did as he was told. "So why did we just back up like that?" she asked before they heard a small explosion and the teen was set flying back down the hall, "Never mind."

"See, cannon fodder." Kara said as the vault door swung open. She quickly flew inside and placed the container her old crystal was in inside her back pack along with an empty one before flying back out.

"You could have warned me about that." Blue Beetle said as he walked up.

"No time," Artemis said glancing at her watch, "We literally have to go, now."

"Lead the way, K-9." Kara said pulling her backpack on. They followed the drone along a different route that got them back to the loading bay.

"Why are we running?" Blue Beetle asked as he watched Artemis check her watch, "Does that ghost virus have a time limit?"

"Detection limit," Kara said looking at him, "As long we stay in the building, it stays active. Once we leave and get thirty feet away, it erases itself self from the computer."

"And we have to be home in thirty minutes or we're busted." Artemis said as the door opened to reveal Superboy waiting for them.

"You're cutting it close." he said as everyone got on.

Kara pulled the disc off the drone before the Super cycle launched itself into the air.

"Hey, what do you mean busted?" Blue Beetle asked looking at his teammate.

"My bedtime is in about twenty minutes and it takes at least fifteen to get back to grandma's from the Zeta tube." Kara said before yawning.

"And that's if we don't have the Flash giving us a lift," Artemis said.

"Depending on which grandma you head to," Jade said looking at her sister, "I don't think there would be a problem if you crashed at mom's tonight."

"They're not staying at either place tonight, Jade." Conner said glancing over his shoulder briefly before he turned the cycle so it was heading west, "Flash already talked to Kara's grandparents. They said they'll see you tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" Kara asked a little sleepily.

"Blue and Jade are getting dropped off then heading home," he said looking over at the young girl, "I'm taking you and your mom someplace no one will think of looking for you."

"I have a feeling I know where we're going." Artemis said before the cycle dipped low enough for Jade to get off.

"See you around, Alice." Jade said before disappearing into the shadows.

"I still want to know how you got that vault door to open." Blue Beetle said looking at the blonde.

"I had you crack the crystal so it would cause a power surge in the door lock like you overloaded a circuit breaker. Reset the entire thing." Artemis said before she felt her daughter's head on her lap, "And we have to go. I'll talk to you later, Blue."

"Later guys." he said before flying away.

"To the farm house?" she asked as the cycle went airborne again.

"You got it." Conner said as they flew out of the city limits, "We should be there in half an hour." The two were quiet for a few minutes before the Kryptonian clone asked, "Do you really think you can bring Wally back?"

"We wouldn't have gone after that crystal if we didn't." she said watching her daughter sleep.

"You'll get him back," he said with a smile, "If there is one thing I've learned about that little girl of yours, is she don't quit or back down from a challenge. Just like her mom."

"Thanks Conner," she said brushing her daughter's hair back. Neither of them said a word for the rest of the flight.

'Hang on, Wally,' she thought looking at the backpack, 'You'll be home soon.' She started to hum lightly as closed her eyes. It was a simple melody she knew that always seemed to help her relax. It wasn't until she was half way through the tune when she realized something was wrong. She opened her eyes into to see they were heading back to the city.

"Superboy, what's going on?" she asked sounding a little worried.

"Watchtower just called everyone in," he said clearly not happy, "Something's happened."

"What do you mean 'something'?" she asked sounding worried.

"What's going on?" Kara asked as she slowly sat up.

"Slight change in plans, Kara," Conner said as he flew towards a rundown phone booth, "I'm taking you two to the Watchtower."

"Why are we going there?" the young girl asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Conner, what's going on?" Artemis asked sounding worried.

He was quiet as the cycle landed next to the booth before saying, "Zatara and the Helmet of Fate have gone missing."


	25. Chapter 25: Did Not See This Coming

Chapter Twenty- Five

Did Not See This Coming...

From what Kara understood; Zatara becomes Dr. Fate when he puts the helmet of Fate on. The Lord of Order, Nabu, then takes over and the wearer can only watch what happens from inside their mind. But because of the poker game a few months back, Zatara had been freed from Nabu's control. Honestly, it all felt very confusing to her. As she looked at the holo-screen in the main area of the Watchtower, no one was having any luck finding either the elder magician or the helmet.

Each member of the team had been paired up with someone from the League and was currently scowling the globe looking for their missing member. As she looked over the list of team assignments, her eyes fell upon her mother's image. She had been paired with one of the Green Lanterns and was currently in Coast City.

"I wish dad was here." she whispered before sitting on the ground.

"You ok, Kara?" Professor Carr asked checking off locations the groups had checked in.

"Just a little bored." she said sighing.

"Well I'd ask if you want to help me keep track of where everyone has looked, but I have that pretty much under control." he said with a shrug, "But you could always call one of your grandmothers."

"Good idea." she said kicking the holo-screen on her wrist comp up. She flew up to one of the upper levels as she heard the phone ring twice before someone picked it up.

"Hello?" a familiar voice said on the other line.

"Hi Grandma Paula." the young girl said sitting on ledge.

"Hello Kara," her grandmother said sounding happy, "What are you up too?"

"I'm waiting on mom," Kara replied with a smile, "Her and everyone else is out looking for Grandpa Gio."

"Why are they looking for Giovani?" Paula asked sounding a little worried.

"I think it's because he's communicator went offline, I can't even track him with my watch." the young girl replied before yawning, "Sorry, Conner was taking mom and I home when the call came in."

"Where are you now?" Paula asked.

"I'm on the Watchtower waiting for mom to get done in Coast City." her granddaughter said looking towards the Earth.

"You should be in bed." Paula said as she started to get upset.

"I wish I was in bed." Kara said trying to keep her eyes open.

"Get your mother on the line," Paula said trying to keep her temper. Kara pushed a few buttons before giving her head a quick shake as she heard, "Tigress here."

"Why is my granddaughter still up?" Paula asked trying to stay calm.

"Zatanna freaked out when her father's com-link went offline and called everyone in to try and find him," Artemis said calmly, "I promise I will get her to bed as soon as we find him."

"Her father is with me, Artemis. Now get my granddaughter to bed." Paula stated.

"Are you and Grandpa Gio on another date?" Kara giggled.

"No, we eloped to Vegas." Paula replied almost instantly.

"You didn't?" Artemis asked sounding a little shocked.

"I'll tell you as soon as you get my granddaughter to bed." Paula said sounding cross.

"Heading back now," Artemis said before ending her part of the call.

"Kara, honey, ask your mom not to tell anyone about this yet, I want to tell them." Paula stated.

"Sure, but what does elope mean?" Kara said a little puzzled.

"It means get married," Paula replied with a slight laugh.

"Oh, did you?" the young girl asked.

"Don't tell anyone, but yeah we did," Paula said quietly, "Be sure to go to bed once you get back to Mary and Rudy's place."

"I will Grandma Paula. Good night," Kara said before ending the call. She flew back down to the main area and said in a clear voice, "Excuse me, everyone, I know where Zatara is."

"Where is he, Kara?" Zatanna asked sounding worried.

"He's in Vegas with Grandma Paula." Kara replied before she heard the Zeta tube activate.

"Who's Grandma Paula?" Captain Marvel asked before the computer announced the arrival of Tigress and one of the Green Lanterns.

"You'll never know," Kara said before flying over to her mother, "Hi mom."

"Hey Kara," Artemis said hugging her daughter, "Good thinking calling my mom."

"You're welcome." Kara said as she laid her head on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself not on the Watchtower, but in a familiar field of flowers.

"Dad?" she asked as she sat up.

"Right here, Kara," Wally said from his seat next to her, "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok," she said before giving him a hug, "Mom and I got the crystal from STAR Labs."

He smiled as he returned the hug and said, "Great job, kiddo. You remember what I told you about adjusting the Zeta tubes?"

She nodded as she looked at him and said, "Yup, and I have some great news."

"What's that?" he asked looking at her. "Grandma Paula and Grandpa Gio eloped. But you can't tell anyone yet, and mom doesn't believe her….you know how Grandma Paula can be."

"Yea, I know, and I don't think that will be a problem." he said with a slight laugh. His smile faded after a few seconds as he looked at her and asked with a seriousness the young girl had never heard before, "Are you sure you want to give up your speed just to bring me back?"

"Dad, I would give up all my powers if it means you can come home," she said as a tears started to form, "Mom misses you and so does everyone else that loves you. And you can't be any worse than having mom's dad as my foster father."

He hugged her tightly as he closed his eyes saying, "I can't wait to meet you in real life."

"Same here, dad," she said returning the hug, "And I think you'll get a kick out of my Sonic Screwdriver."

"I'm looking forward to it." he said before kissing the top of her head.

They sat like that for a few minutes before he quietly said, "Keep your mom safe till I get back, ok?"

He looked down at her to find she had fallen asleep in his arms. "Sleep sweet, my little Whovian," he said as he gently laid her back on the flowers, "I'll be home soon." He placed a feather light kiss on her forehead then disappeared in a flash of light.

As Kara opened her eyes, she found that she was in strange room. "Mom?" she said sitting up.

She started to glance around the room but stopped noticing that her mother was lying next to her asleep. Her body seemed to relax upon seeing her mother. Without even realizing it, she slowly laid back down and fell back asleep. She awoke awhile later as something furry was placed on her stomach.

"Warm." she murmured and curled into it.

"Come on, Kara," she heard her mother said, "Time to get up."

"Do I have too?" the young girl asked trying to bury herself in whatever was giving off so such warmth.

"Only if you don't want breakfast," Artemis said leaning against the doorframe.

Kara's eyes snapped open before she bolted from the bed to the dresser and back in less than a second. "What are we having?" she asked stopping in front of her mother.

Artemis chuckled a little before saying, "Depends on what you want, because I'm cooking. And you put your shirt on inside out and backwards."

Using a quick burst of speed, Kara adjusted her shirt and asked, "Can we have French toast?"

"I think we can." Artemis said before scooping her daughter up and carrying her downstairs.

"About time you get up, Kara." the young girl heard Rudy say as they headed to the kitchen.

"Sorry Grandpa." she said before getting sat on the counter.

"So, why was Giovani with my mother…did they REALLY get married or is she pulling my leg….again?" Artemis asked as she pulled a bowl from a cupboard.

Kara shook her head slightly before saying, "Grandma Paula asked me not to tell."

"Can you at least tell me where they really were?" Artemis asked as she continued to move about the kitchen gathering the ingredients.

"They were in Vegas," Kara replied watching her mother, "What's Vegas?"

"Vegas is short for Las Vegas," Artemis said cracking an egg, "It's a city in Nevada."

"She said they were there when I called." Kara said as her watch beeped. She brought up the holo-screen and smiled see Zatanna's face.

"Hi Aunt Zee." she said smiling.

"Hi Kara, where's you mom?" the magician asked.

"Cooking breakfast," Artemis replied placing a skillet on the stove, "What do you need, Zee?"

"Did you know our parents eloped last night?" Zatanna asked calmly.

"I thought she was joking last night when Kara conferenced us…"

"Is Grandma Paula in trouble?" Kara asked.

"Most defiantly."

"So is my father." Zatanna remarked.

"Ok," the young girl said before a thought popped into her mind, "Um, how did we get home?"

"Conner took you home last night and was allowed to stay in the guest room." Zatanna said as Rudy entered the kitchen.

"He also went shopping with Mary while his bike is in the garage rolled up like a ball and Wolf is in your room, I think." Rudy said.

"That was nice of them." Kara said smiling.

"I agree. Granted it was surprising to see such a large animal with him." he said sitting at the table, "What kind of dog is that?"

"A wolf," Kara said as the animal in question walked into the kitchen and sat next to her on the floor, "But he's a nice one."

"Unless you make him mad," Zatanna said smiling, "You'd honestly wonder if that was the same animal."

Wolf gave a wide yawn before shaking his head then Kara patted his head and said, "I can't image this guy getting mad."

"He may not look it, but he's still a wild animal," Artemis said before getting a plate, "Go sit down, Kara. Your breakfast is about done."

"Ok mom." the young girl said before hopping off the counter.


	26. Chapter 26: Confronting an Unknown Fear

Chapter Twenty-Six

Confronting an Unknown Fear...

It wasn't that often that a speedster was wrong. Nor was it to know that the team had a running pool as to when the next time they would be proven wrong. So it came to no surprise when Artemis won the most recent one. What the speedster in question, Bart, had been wrong about was Batman having Artemis enroll Kara in school. Between Mary and the former archer, the two had been homeschooling the young girl.

So to put her back in was almost pointless. What the dark knight actually had planned was to have Kara and her mother join a class that was taking a tour of Wayne Tech's R&D facilities in Gotham. At first it really didn't make any sense to do that, but it wasn't until half way through the tour that Artemis realized the place was a giant, kid friendly, science lab. Each of the students was allowed to build whatever they wanted with help of the staff and their parents in their own little area. But out of all the kids that was there, Kara was the only one that wasn't asking for help.

"That better not be a Zeta tube." Artemis said quietly.

"It's not." Kara said as she continued working on her project.

"Ok then; what are you making?" Artemis asked a little intrigued.

"I don't know," the young girl replied with a shrug, "I'm kind of bored."

"Mind if I see what you made?" Artemis asked as a man in a business suit came walking up.

"Miss. Crock, how are you and your daughter doing?" he asked.

"No offense, Mr. Wayne, but my daughter's bored." Artemis said looking at him.

"You're kidding?" he asked looking from one to the other, "How can you be bored?"

Kara turned on her stool to face him and replied, "Sorry, Mr. Wayne, but there's no challenge here."

"Well, why don't you try and build something out of a movie or a TV show?" he suggested.

"I really don't care for movies," she said looking at him, "And I already built a Sonic Screwdriver."

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes sir," she said taking the item out of her jacket and holding it up, "Based it off the ninth Doctor's."

"Well, why don't you try building the eleventh Doctor's version," he suggested.

"She hasn't seen that one yet," Artemis said calmly, "Mr. Wayne, why did you set this up today, other than for PR?"

"Because most people don't realize that research and development is another form of science, Ms. Crock," he said looking at the blonde, "By doing something like this, it may get a child into science."

"That and it's safer than blowing up a garage with a science kit." Kara said before she walked over to one of the part bins.

"That too," he said with a slight chuckle, "Is she always to the point like that?"

"That's what makes her my daughter," Artemis said as her daughter walked back to her table carrying a bunch of parts, "What are you doing?"

"I think I know something to build." Kara said smiling.

"And what's that?" Mr. Wayne asked.

"It's something from one of the movies my dad liked." she said as she started to sort out what she had grabbed.

"And what's that?" he asked, a little intrigued.

"You'll see when it's done." she said before she started to piece the item together.

"Yeah, she normally does that when she gets an idea into her head." Artemis started leaning back in her chair.

"Please make sure she doesn't blow up the building." he said before heading off to one of the other tables.

Artemis waited until he left before sliding her chair over to the table and asked, "What are you building?"

"Possibly a laser sword," Kara said looking at her mother, "I figured I should keep it simple for now."

"Why are you making a laser sword?" Artemis asked.

"Because no one told me I couldn't." Kara said with a smile as she looked at her mother.

"That sounds like something Wally would say." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"I am his daughter," Kara said before turning back her project, "I talked to him a few nights ago. He said he can't wait to meet me for real."

"I think that also applies to you too," Artemis said. She reached over and placed a hand on her daughters before whispering, "And you need to slow down or someone is going to find out your secret."

Kara let go of what she was working on and slowly closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." the young girl whispered as her shoulders shook slightly.

"Kara, what's wrong?" her mother asked.

"I'm scared." Kara whispered.

"What are you scared of?" Artemis asked.

Kara looked at her mother as tears started to fall and she said, "That I can't bring dad home and I'll lose everything."

"You are never going to lose me, Kara," Artemis said gently pulling her daughter into a hug, "Nothing or no one will ever take me away from you."

"Tuppence almost did," Kara whispered as she buried her face into her mother shoulder.

Artemis tightened her hold before whispering, "And I have you to thank for her NOT taking me away, my little guardian angel." She reached up and stroked her daughter's hair for a few seconds before softly saying, "But more importantly; once we get your father back, we're going home."

"Are we really?" Kara asked looking up at her mother hopefully.

"Yes, really," Artemis said tapping the girl on the nose, "Because I don't know about you, but I miss Palo Alto."

"I miss my friends." Kara said wiping a tear away.

"And I miss my old job, believe it or not," Artemis said before kissing the girl's forehead, "Feel better?"

Kara nodded before saying, "Yeah, love you mom."

"And I love you too, sweetie." her mother said with an affectionate smile.

"Why do you call me that?" Kara asked.

"You'll find out when you get to the eleventh Doctor," Artemis said before leaning back in her chair, "So, are you going to build something other than laser swords?"

"I only made one laser sword." Kara replied before turning back to the table.

"You two ok over here?" a man asked as he walked back up.

"We're fine," Artemis said looking at him, "And you are?"

"Clark Kent, I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet," he said before looking at the table, "So what have you made?"

"I was trying to build a laser sword." Kara said smiling.

"You and quite a few others," he said sounding a little skeptical, "How far did you get?"

She picked up the device and pointed the one up towards the ceiling as she pressed a button; metal pieces started to extend out from the one end and formed a blade and guard.

"You built a collapsible sword instead." he said impressed.

"My dad had a poster that showed the blueprints for the laser sword and I wanted to see if it actually worked." she said hitting the button again so the blade retracted, "It didn't come out the way I wanted, but at least it looks like the Dark Repulser."

"You may not want to show that to anyone here." he said quietly.

"Good idea." she said before putting the item down and went back to assembling something else.

"So what do you think of this event Wayne Industries put together?" he asked a little puzzled.

"It's kind of fun," she said calmly, "Do you think we can go see Grandma Paula before heading home, mom?"

"I think we might be able to." Artemis replied.

"She's your mom?" he asked surprised.

"Long, long story." she said quickly.

"And you already knew that," Kara said quietly glancing at the reporter, "Have you gotten a new suit yet?"

"No. I didn't and not yet, Power Girl," he said just as quiet.

"Do not blow each other's covers here." Artemis said glaring at the two.

"Yes mom." the two said together.

Kara glared at him and said, "Get your own mom, she's mine."

"No offense, but I would love to see if she could punch him out." a voice said from behind Artemis.

"Do not give her ideas." the blonde said turning to find Bruce Wayne standing a few feet away.

"At least that one is better than building Zeta tube components like she currently is." he said motioning towards the table.

All eyes looked at the table as Kara sank a little in her seat and said, "Sorry. Wait, how do you know what a Zeta tube is?"

"You would be surprised." he said before walking away.

"He's hiding something." Kara said before taking apart the item in front of her.

"What do you think he's hiding?" Artemis asked.

"A secret obsession for grown men that run around at night wearing bed sheets and their underwear over their pants," Kara stated bluntly.

Artemis tried to not to laugh as Clark said, "That's not funny."

"Depends on who you ask," the young girl said smiling.

"This not the time or place to get into an argument, you two," Artemis said looking from one to the other.

"Well he asked," Kara stated before they heard what sounded like a buzzer, "What's that?"

"That's just letting everyone know that it's time to go," Artemis said smiling, "Go get your things, sweetie."

"Ok mom." Kara said before going to grab her coat.

"I am really sorry about that, Clark," Artemis said once her daughter was out of earshot.

"Its fine, Artemis," he said holding out a piece of paper, "I walked into that one."

"Not going to argue and what this?" she asked taking the paper.

"The date and location of a Zeta tube that has being set up for you and Kara to try and bring him back," he replied calmly, "You're going to get one shot at this."

"That's all we need," she said putting the paper in her pocket as Kara walked up, "You got everything, Kara?"

The girl handed her mother her coat before grabbing what all she had made and smiled saying, "Now I do."

"You really must be in a slump when it comes to dating if you're hitting on the older sisters, Smallville." a raven haired woman said walking over.

"Who's she?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Kara, Artemis; this is Lois Lane. She works with me at the Daily Planet," Clark said making a quick introduction, "Lois, this is Artemis and her daughter, Kara."

"You look pretty young to be a mom." Lois said looking at Artemis.

"I get that a lot," the blonde said with a shrug.

"So you're Lois?" Kara asked looking at the woman, "Someone was telling us a little about you."

"All good I hope," Lois said glancing at her friend.

"I'm not sure," the young girl said with a slightly puzzled look, "Why do you want him to help you act out parts of Fifty Shades of Grey?"

The three adults turned bright red as Lois stammered, "W-w-who told you t-t-that?"

"He did while mom ran to the bathroom," Kara said pointing over at Bruce Wayne, "He also said he would pay for a room for you two if you want. Or was it Dick and Babs he was talking about?"

"Okay, I need to ask Dick….

"Less." Kara said with a smile.

"…..If he can get me a meeting with Mr. Wayne," Artemis said as she had a stern look on her face and was ready to punch out the civilian form of Batman.

"Why say that about Mr. Wayne's first ward?" Lois asked.

"It's something my friend Barbara said….I think she was mad at him and little Kara here picked up on it." Artemis remarked as Clark couldn't stop laughing.

With that, everyone headed out for their next destinations.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Speedster No More

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Speedster No More...

Time seemed to drag on as Kara waited for the date set by the League when she could bring her father home. Granted the same could be said for all those involved. Night after night, the scientist at STAR Labs worked diligently to make sure nothing would go wrong. They were only going to get one chance at doing what some believed to be impossible. Even Jade was going so far as to making sure to take the night off. Her reasoning was that neither member of her family needed any extra stress.

When the day finally arrived, a little nagging thought popped into Kara's head. What if she couldn't bring him back? She tried not to think about it, but it wouldn't go away. No matter what she did, her mind kept asking that question. As she arrived at the site with her mother, the thought started to get stronger.

 _'I am not letting this win,'_ she thought as she looked at the Zeta tube that had been constructed for her.

"Nervous?" she heard a familiar voice ask.

"What if I can't do this, Conner?" she asked putting a voice to her thought.

"You can do it," he replied placing a hand on her shoulder, "You've proven everyone wrong about you so far. Don't start now doubting yourself now."

She looked up at him a little puzzled asking, "What do you mean?"

"There isn't a single thing you haven't been able to do once you set your mind to it," he said kneeling next to her, "Every one of the scientists here says this can't be done. It's impossible. But the thing is; you're not just Power Girl, you're Impossible Girl when it comes to stuff like this."

"I'm the Impossible girl." she said quietly.

He nodded saying, "And the reason why is you make the impossible possible. Now, are you ready to do this?"

She took a deep breath and nodded before she started walking towards the Zeta tube.

"All right everyone, it's Show Time!" Conner called out. The activity in the room started to pick up as different machines were powered up. It soon grew quiet as everyone turned to watch the events about to unfold.

Kara stopped a few feet from the machine and watched as the window to the Speed Force formed. A swirling vortex of red and yellow could be seen in the main ring. Almost as if expecting something bad, Kara took her lasso and tied one end around her ankle before tying the other around one of the anchor weights in the room.

"Here goes nothing." she whispered before walking up to the window. She reached up with one hand and touched the window.

A jolt of static electricity shot through her body causing her to blink. In that split second, the image in the window changed to a mirror image of the young girl.

"Hello." the image said, its voice sounding crackly as if talking threw a speaker.

"Hi," Kara said cautiously, "I'm-"

"We know who you are," the image said cutting her off, "The question is why you are here."

"I'm here for Wally West." Kara replied.

"Do you know the cost of what you are asking for?" the image asked.

"My speed, I know." Kara replied.

The image seemed puzzled as it asked, "Do you truly wish to give up something that is yours for someone you've never met?"

"This power was never mine to begin with," Kara said calmly, "I didn't ask for it. I didn't earn it. I got it simply because I was born. If anything, this power was supposed to go to someone else and I received it by mistake. I'm just trying to return something that didn't belong to me so my father can come home."

The image was quiet for a few moments before it spoke, "The Speed Force chooses who to bestow with power. You were chosen because you are the daughter of a speedster. The way you chose to use this power shows that we were right in choosing you. You have a kind heart and used your speed to protect those you care for; even going so far as relinquishing it to help another." The image looked over its shoulder briefly as Wally appeared behind it.

"If you do this, you will never be able to go as fast as you once did," it said looking back at the girl, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I wouldn't have opened a window to the Speed Force if I didn't want this." she said as her eyes filled with tears.

The image seemed to smile as it stepped to the side before saying, "Take your daughter's hand and go home, Wally."

"I will," he said before stepping forward and doing as he was told.

She blinked again as soon as their hands touched and found herself staring at the whirling vortex, but something was different. She looked at her hand and smiled as she saw her father's fingers entwined with hers.

"This way, dad." she said softly as she started to back up. The crystal at the top of the arch started to glow brighter as the speedster stepped through the window. It wasn't until he was completely through before the crystals glow stopped before it shattered.

"Hi dad." she said as tears slowly started too slid down her cheeks.

"Hello Kara," he said before picking her up and hugging her, "My Kara."

She returned the hug as her tears began to fall freely.

"W-W-Wally?" they heard a voice say. The two turned to see all but one of the original members of the team standing in shock.

"Hey guys. Sorry it took so long coming home." Wally said smiling.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Artemis said sounding upset as she started walking towards them, "You take off to help your uncle without saying a word, you never said goodbye, and asked him to tell me you love me. And when you do come back it's 'sorry it took so long.' Do you have any idea what all I've been through since you died?"

"Enough to drive a sane person crazy," he said putting his daughter down, "And I am sorry about that."

"Oh you're going to be sorry," Artemis said stopping right in front of him, "Because, Wallace Rudolph West, I have one thing to say to you."

"And what's that?" he asked a little nervously.

The tears she had been holding back started to fall as she looked into his eyes and said, "It's about time you come home, you idiot."

"But I'm your idiot," he said. He started to pull her into his arms when she slapped him across his face.

"And how dare you make me cry?" she asked before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sorry spitfire," he said softly as he held her close, "You know I never mean too. But as you said, I'm an idiot."

She tightened her arms as she cried into his shoulder. They stood there for a few seconds before Artemis wiping her eyes and looked at him.

"I love you," he said looking into her eyes, "I am so sorry about what happened."

"I know, and I love you too." she said before pressing her lips to his.

"Hey Artemis, you mind stepping aside and giving us a chance to pound him." Conner asked with a slight laugh.

She smiled as she broke the kiss and said, "He's all yours."

"Not completely." Wally said before getting tackled by a Martian.

Artemis watched the others for a few seconds as they welcomed their lost speedster home before turning towards her daughter.

Kara smiled as she finished putting her lasso away and said, "I knew I could bring him back."

"That you did." Artemis said before picking her daughter up and giving her a hug.

As Kara started to return the hug, she found herself in the middle of a massive group hug.

"Stupid super speed," Artemis muttered with a slight laugh.

"You know you missed it." Wally said kissing her cheek.

"Seriously you two get a room." M'gann said before everyone started laughing.

"I've missed you guys," Wally said smiling before the hug ended, "And I couldn't have returned without the help of my daughter. Thank you, Kara."

"Y-you're welcome *hic*." Kara said before turning pink.

"Was that a mouse or did Kara just hiccup?" Kaldur asked surprised.

"It was Kara," Artemis said as her daughter hiccupped again, "And don't call her a mouse."

"Got it." he said before they heard a stomach growl.

"And the bottomless pit returns," she said with a laugh.

"I have a seriously…." Wally started to say but stopped as the others said in unison.

"High metabolism. We know."

They all started laughing before Kara hiccupped again.

"I missed you guys," Wally said with a sigh, "But where's Dick?"

"Less*hic*."Kara said before burying her face into her mother's shoulder.

"Conner said not to let him know," Zatanna said smiling, "With as big as a jerk he's been lately, he thought it would be funny to watch you let him know your back."

"Wait a minute," Wally said looking at the magician, "You actually want me to troll him?"

"Oh like you need a reason." Artemis said with a smirk.

"Good point," he said as he heard Kara hiccup again, "After we get her some water and me something to eat."

"We made certain to get some pizzas for you in case this worked." M'gann said.

"Awww, you shouldn't have." Wally said as he kept an arm around Artemis's waist.

"You can thank us after the doctors here make sure you and Kara are ok." Artemis said.

"Hope they don't mind me pigging out while they examine me." Wally said as he sped over to the pizzas nearby. Kaldur had stepped away to get Kara some water for her hiccups and returned quickly. Now it was just a matter of HOW Wally was going to tell his best friend about his return.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Trolling 10

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Trolling 101...

After making sure the two were ok, they boarded the bioship and flew towards Blüdhaven. During the flight, everyone got the speedster caught up as to what all had happened while he was gone. He listened to everything as he munched on protein bars. It wasn't until after they showed him the video of Dick's first meeting with Kara that he started laughing.

"Oh I have so missed this." he said smiling.

"And we've missed you too, Wall-man." Artemis said from where she sat on his lap.

"So what are you going to do to Dick…less?" Kara asked looking at her father.

"Well since you helped your mom get him, how about you help me out?" he asked with a slight smile.

"You want my help?" she asked hopefully.

"Well why not? You and Artemis got him good," he said as his smile widened, "Let's see what we can come up with."

"If you two are working together, then I'm warning the League." M'gann said with a slight laugh.

"Actually," Kara said as she started to get an idea, "Let's have them help."

"Should we warn the team?" M'gann asked.

"After Kara explains what she has in mind," Artemis said as she watched her daughter.

"We let him think something took out everyone," Kara said with an evil smile, "He gets a call for help from the league and it cuts out. When he finally finds what took them out, it ends up being something he never expected."

"Ok, so what do we make him think it's taking everyone out?" Conner asked.

"I think I know just the thing," Wally said as he smiled at his daughter, "We're going to need J'onn and possibly Zatara. Think you can con him into helping, babe? My god…that is one thing I never thought I would say."

"Trying hearing it," Zatanna said as her and Artemis shuttered slightly.

"I got it," Kara said bringing up the holo-screen on her watch.

"I take it that is a gift from either Babs or Robin." Wally whispered as he looked at Artemis.

"Yes, now hush, daddy," the blonde said before they head someone pick up the line.

"Hello," they all heard a man say over the phone.

"Hi Grandpa Gio," Kara said as she smiled.

"Hello, Kara," Zatara replied sounding happy, "How did it go?"

"I was kind of hoping to talk to you about that," she said smiling as she looked at her father, "We were kind of hoping to let everyone know his back by trolling Nightwing."

"And you need my help how?" he asked.

"I got Nightwing into a TV show I like," Wally said with a smug smile on his face, "And there are a couple of characters from that series that freaked him out the first time he saw them. Up until tonight, it was the most perfectly kept secret."

"Wow, Wally West keeping a secret….that's a FIRST." Artemis said with a laugh.

"And you want to use that info against him," Conner said looking at the speedster, "The ultimate way to troll a troll."

"It will take a little bit to set this up," Wally said as his smile widened, "But if we can pull this off…."

"…..He will never forgive any of us," Artemis said with a slight laugh, "I'm in."

"Me too," Kara said smiling.

"This is going to be so much fun," M'gann said.

"Let me know what you come up with and I will get things started with the League," Zatara said.

"We will. Bye Grandpa." Kara said before ending the call.

"So how do we pull this off and what do we need?" Kaldur asked.

"We have two of the five things we need," Wally said looking at the Atlantean, "All we need now is getting the others to play along, a recording of each of them getting attacked by something and losing, and the perfect bait."

"Barbara," Conner said after a moment's thought, "We have her be the bait to lure him in. But then what do we do?"

"We start the prank like a magic trick," Kara said looking at her friend, "We start with the pledge; the distress calls from the League and team and injured Barbara. She tells him of something that is gunning for the League and those associated with them. Then comes the turn: he goes to help take it down and walks into our trap. Both League and team have been imprisoned by one of the things that freaked him out."

"Then comes the prestige," Wally said with a slight laugh, "The other ones show up stopping him from escaping. Once he's caught, the one starts a phrase that lets him know I'm back."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds before M'gann asked, "Isn't this a little overkill for a prank?"

"This is Dick we're talking about," Artemis said looking at the Martian, "The overkill rule does not apply to him."

"Not after the phone incident and what all he's done to Barbara," Kara said.

"Yeah, he's been asking for this." Wally said.

"It won't take long to get everything ready for this," Zatanna said looking at the speedster, "Granted, I don't think we should tell the entire team about this."

"How about we tell Barbara only and get the others with Nightwing and Captain Marvel?" Kara suggested.

"Add Robin and Cassie to that list and I think we're good to go," Artemis said.

"Speaking of which," M'gann said as the bioship came to a stop, "We're above Mary and Rudy's place."

"Ready to go home, Wally?" Artemis asked looking at the love of her life.

"You better believe it, babe." he said before kissing her. The bioship flew low enough over the West back yard for Artemis and Wally to jump out safely.

"Bye everyone, and thanks for being there." Kara said before flying after her folks.

"So how does it feel not to have your speed anymore?" Wally asked as the bioship flew away.

"Slower," she said landing next to him, "Do you still have your speed?"

He smiled before running around the house in less than a second and said, "Still got it."

The three of them went up the house and entered via the back door before Artemis said, "We're back."

"How did it go?" Mary asked sounding hopeful.

"Well, I got good news and bad news," the blonde said as her and Kara entered the living room, "The bad news is that both crystals shattered and the machine shorted out shortly after it was turned on." Mary covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes widened.

"If that's the bad news, then what's the good news?" Rudy asked after a few seconds.

"The good news is that I don't have my speed anymore." Kara said smiling.

"And I'm home," Wally said from the doorway to the kitchen.

The Wests quickly looked over at their lost son as he removed his mask. They quickly walked over and engulfed their son in a tight hug.

"You're back," she said as she started crying, "My baby boy is back."

Wally wrapped his arms around them as he closed his eyes.

The room was quiet for a few seconds before looked up at her mom and asked, "Did we do good?"

"We did good," Artemis replied glancing at the clock before looking towards her daughter, "And you need to get to bed."

"That's fine." Kara said a sleepily.

"Wait a minute." Mary said breaking the hug.

She walked over and scooped the little girl and hugged her tight. "Thank you, both of you," she said before pulling Artemis into the hug, "You brought my baby boy home."

"You're welcome, Grandma." Kara said returning the hug as she yawned.

"And I think its way past time for you to be in bed." Mary said looking at her granddaughter.

Artemis placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled saying, "I think Wally should tuck her into bed."

"Of course," Mary said handing her granddaughter to her son, "We placed them in your old room until this mess blows over."

"Ok mom." he said before zooming off upstairs.

"No running in the house." Kara mumbled as she tried to stay awake.

"I don't think my mom will mind this time," he said setting her down, "Need a hand getting changed, or do you want Artemis?"

"I can do it," she said grabbing her nightshirt, "Just don't go far."

"I'll be just outside the door if you need me," he said before leaving the room.

After a few minutes, he heard her call his name. He stepped back into the room and smiled as he saw the only real change to his old room was that there were two twin beds in it now.

"So, what does Artemis do now?" he said as she crawled into bed.

"Mom usually reads me a story or she tells me of one of the team's old adventures." she said holding her Tigress plush close.

"And she probably tells you the ones when I was an idiot on the mission, right?" He asked sitting next to her.

"Sometimes," she said with a shrug, "Mostly it's how well you two worked together."

"We made a great team," he said with a slight smile.

"What was the Speed Force like?" she asked looking at him.

His smiled started to fade as he said, "You know how the world flies by when you run? It was like that, but way faster. All I saw was streaks of color; like I was running constantly. I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried."

"You couldn't even stop to sleep?" she asked lying down.

"I had become pure energy. I didn't need sleep, food, anything," he said before looking at her, "It wasn't until I felt you use your speed that was even able to slow down. Now, you need to get some sleep."

"Ok dad," she said pulling her blanket over her.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and said, "Goodnight, Kara. I'll be here when you wake tomorrow."

"Good night, dad, and welcome home," she said before closing her eyes.

He quietly slipped from the room and leaned against a wall.

"She's something else, isn't she?" he heard a voice ask. He looked down the hall and smiled as he saw the love of his life walking towards him.

"Just like her mom." he said quietly as he pulled her into his arms.

Artemis hugged him tight as she buried her face into his shoulder. "I missed you," she whispered as she started to cry again, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, beautiful." he said just as quiet holding her close.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Artemis quietly said, "You know your mom is going to pamper you in the morning."

"I know," he said before lightly kissing her temple, "But it's not morning yet." "And we can't do anything until we get back to our home," she said before looking at him.

"Well….there is ONE thing." he said with an evil grin.

"We are not doing that in your parent's house or on the other side of the door where our daughter is asleep." she said glaring at him.

"Yeah, my parents would be mad if I took a shower here." he said with a light chuckle.

"You're an idiot." she said after lightly smacking him in the shoulder.

"But I'm your idiot," he said with an amused look on his face, "But seriously, I am going to go get a shower and probably change into some of my dad's clothes."

"You don't have to," Artemis said letting him go. She stepped into the bedroom for a few seconds before coming back out with a duffle bag. "Once we got the ok to bring you back, I asked Barry to get some of your clothes from storage." she said handing him the bag.

"Babe, you rock." he said before giving her a quick kiss then heading to the bathroom. She watched him walk away before heading back into the room. As she entered, she was surprised to see Kara was sitting up.

"Is something wrong, Kara?" she asked walking over to her daughter.

"Where's dad?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"He went to get a shower," Artemis said sitting on the bed. "Are you ok?"

The young girl shook her head and asked, "What if I wake up and dad's not here?"

"Wally's not going anywhere," Artemis said before giving her daughter a hug, "He's here to stay."

"You promise?" Kara asked resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I promise. We will never leave you." Artemis replied gently stroking her daughter's here.

Kara yawned. "Okay mommy…you can lay me back down now."

"Sleep well." Artemis said as she saw that once Kara was asleep then left the room quietly.


	29. Chapter 29: Mother of All Pranks

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Mother of All Pranks...

It took a little over a week to get everything set up, but it was worth it. Thanks largely to Batman, what had started as a simple prank on a friend had quickly escalated into something on the brink of madness. While most of the team and Captain Marvel were left in the dark, the others knew their parts. One thing that had been changed was the location. Instead of using Blüdhaven as the target city, they opted to use the Watchtower for the target location.

Getting Nightwing up there had been easy. Barbara sent out a distress call from there saying that they were under attack. Once the team and the target had arrived, the fun soon began. M'gann had shut the mental link down and was working with her uncle and The Flash to pick off the members till only Nightwing was left. From there it was just getting him to where he needed to be. This is where Wally's information proved to be the icing on the cake, for they soon had Nightwing running scared.

 _"Kara, it's M'gann,"_ the Martain said in the young girl's head, _"I isolated the link to those involved in the prank. Nightwing's heading your way."_

"Roger." Kara replied. She quickly pulled a gas mask on and stepped into the hallway as she heard someone running. She looked toward the source and smiled as Nightwing slid to a stop in front of her.

"Are you my mummy?" she said tilting her head to one side. The former team leader quickly took a few steps backwards before running down a hall to his right.

 _"He took the bait,"_ Kara said over the link, _"He's heading to the training area."_ She flew after him and silently landed just inside the shadows. As she entered the room, she saw that the other members of the team were being held inside a cage as two angels had forced Nightwing to his knees. _"Time to end this, dad,"_ she said via the link.

"Don't kill him!" a voice said as a man entered the room. He was a heavy set man with a mullet while wearing a brown duster and biker gloves.

"You know, I never thought the Justice League would fall so easily." he said as he walked towards the cage.

"Just who do you think you are?" Cassie asked as she tried to break free.

"Mui?" the man asked looking at the amazon teen, "Why you can just call me Control Freak. And as you all can see, I am the greatest villain ever; for I have done something that no other has ever done!" He pulled a remote out of his jacket and pressed a button, "For I alone have destroyed the Justice League!"

Multiple holo-screens popped up around the room showing the League being taking down by monsters from different movies. "Isn't it great?" Control Freak asked indicating the screens, "I can bring any creature I want out of the greatest movies ever made all thanks to my remote. And the best part is that they only listen to me."

"You won't get away with this." Virgil said glaring at the portly villain.

"News flash! I already have." Control Freak said before he started laughing.

"Why are you doing this?" Cassie asked.

"Why…..you ask?" he replied before suddenly pointing at Nightwing, "It's all because of him."

"What do you mean me?" Nightwing asked as he struggled to get free.

"Everything that has happened: the fall of the League, your allies being destroyed is all because of one simple reason," Control Freak said as he walked over to the former leader, "Would you like to know what that reason is, you Batman knock off?"

"Enlighten me." Nightwing replied.

The two angels hauled Nightwing to his feet as Control freak stopped in front of him then said, "I did all this because your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries." Control Freak's appearance started to change as he threw an arm around Nightwing's shoulders and smiled. "Now, smile for the birdy," he said before one of the angels pulled out a camera and took their picture.

"Dang that's bright," he said blinking a few times, "But worth it."

"Not funny, Bart," Nightwing said glaring at the now speedster.

"No, it's hilarious because you think I'm Bart." Wally said as he took a few steps away from his friend before looking at him, "Now answer me this, who is the only person that knows the kid in the gas mask and Weeping Angels freaked you out the first time you ever saw them?"

The room was silent for a few seconds before Nightwing's eyes went wide and whispered, "It can't be."

"Can't be what, Nightwing?" Wally asked smiling as he reached up and pulled his mask off.

"W-W-Wally?" the former leader asked with a look of shock on his face, "H-How?"

"I think you two have met." the speedster said pointing at his daughter as she removed the gas mask.

"Told you he was my dad," she said as the angels began to fade out to reveal the League standing there trying not to laugh.

"Wait a minute," La'gaan said as the cage disappeared, "What just happened?"

"Kara brought Wally back and worked with the League and some of the team to troll Nightwing." Cassie asked before she started laughing.

"You were in on this?" Karen asked looking at the Amazon teen surprised.

"All except the part about Wally being back." Cassie replied.

"But don't you think doing all this is a little overkill?" Mal asked with a slight laugh, "I mean, keep half of us in the dark just to let us all know that Wally's back."

"Oh we didn't tell half the league Wally was back," Zatanna said looking at him, "We did this because Nightwing had been getting on everyone's nerves."

"That and he wasn't there the night I came back," Wally said picking his daughter up in his arms, "Worst part about this was Kara came up with entire plan. All I added was the things that I knew creeped him out the most."

"He's not the only one." Billy said with a light shudder.

"Regardless as to who got creeped out," Dinah said stepping forward, "I'd say this whole thing was worth getting Wally back."

"Yup," Kara said hugging her father, "But I do wonder why Nightwing is acting like he has."

"You don't really want to know." Nightwing muttered as he looked away.

"Tell them or I will," Barbara said standing behind him. "And don't even think you can out run three speedsters." Wally said smiling.

"I forgot Barbara's birthday." Nightwing said with a sigh.

"No, you canceled and went out with some brunette." Barbara said crossing her arms.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Mal said, "Yeah, he definitely deserved to get trolled by a six year old."

"And I am so glad she's on our side." Wally said looking at his daughter.

"I'll second that." Batman said giving the young girl the faintest of smiles.

"Now how about you put Kara down so we can give you a hug?" Cassie said flying over to the speedster.

"The instant I put her down I'm getting punched by at least one person here," Wally said looking at the Amazon, "So I'm not putting her down."

"You want to bet, Baywatch?" Artemis asked as she walked up.

He let out a sigh before handing Kara over to the blonde saying, "You will pay for this."

Kara waited until her mother had taken a few steps back before the two looked over at each other then yelled, "DOG PILE!"

Everyone started laughing before walking over and giving the speedster a hug. After about the seventh hug, Rocket walked over to Artemis and asked, "Hey Artemis, what did Wally mean about there being only three speedsters here? There are four here including him and Kara."

"Kara gave her speed up in order to bring him back," Artemis said holding her daughter close, "So there's only three now."

"I can still fly and have the other powers," Kara said looking at her friend, "I just can't run like he does anymore."

"And you don't mind not having your speed?" Rocket asked.

"Nope." the young girl replied.

"She seems happier without it." Artemis said setting her daughter on the ground.

"Besides," Kara said as she started to rise off the ground, "I like flying better."

"I can tell," Rocket said with a slight laugh, "But it would've been nice to find out if you were faster than you dad."

"Trust me, she was faster." Artemis said before the young girl flew over to her father. The mood in Watchtower seemed to be lighter as everyone welcomed back the lost speedster.

After about an hour, Batman called Artemis off to the side for a quick talk. "The staff from STAR Labs confirmed that Wally and Kara are both physically fine," he said looking at her, "The only real difference is her speed is gone and she's no longer generating energy."

"That's good to hear." Artemis said looking over to where the love of her life and Kara was.

"But how are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to take my family home," she said looking at him, "And I don't mean Wally's parents' place. I mean a place of our own, but that can't happen until Luthor no longer wants that watch."

"We may have a way to make certain that Luthor will no longer go after it," he stated.

"But you probably need to use my daughter as bait, right?" she asked.

"No need," he said bringing up an image via holo-screen, "But it will involve you moving back to Palo Alto."

"Before or after they get some time to be a family?" Diana said as she walked up, "From what I understand, over eighty percent of this past week has been him running to STAR Labs to make sure he's ok."

"She's actually right," Artemis said with a sigh, "By the time Wally gets home, he had enough time to check the progress on this little prank before heading to bed. Heck, he barely gets five minutes to talk to Kara before she has to head to bed."

"STAR Labs has stated they will no longer need to run anymore tests," Batman said as his gaze shifted from one to the other, "And I will be covering the cost of you three going on a small vacation till we can get things set back up with your school, Artemis."

"So we're actually going home?" the blonde asked a little skeptical.

"In about two weeks," the dark knight replied, "But yes, you will be going home."

"Thank you." Artemis said before walking back to the others.

She wrapped her arms around Wally from behind and rested her head against his back.

"You ok, Artemis?" he asked looking over his shoulder at her.

"Just glad you're back." she said closing her eyes.

"I'm glad we're finally a proper family." Wally said as he turned and hugged Artemis.

"Dad, now that the prank is over, I want to tell you all about how mommy came to be my guardian….until we realized she was my mom." Kara said as she flew up and landed in her father's arms.

Wally laughed. "Okay, how about we make that tonight's bedtime story."

"OKAY." Kara said as she yawned.

"I think it's time for your family to head home." Diana said. "Even tiny heroes need their rest."

With that said Wally, Artemis and Kara headed for the Zeta Tube and went to Keystone City and were soon on their way to their temporary home.


	30. Chapter Thirty: The Ring

Chapter Thirty

The Ring...

The vacation was exactly what the new family needed. It gave them all time to get to know each other better; but not only that, it gave Wally a chance to get closer to his daughter. Within the first week, the two had become as close as Artemis and Kara where. It wasn't long before their vacation was over. One thing that had surprised them all was that Batman had purchased a house big enough for them and Brucely in Palo Alto for them as a way of an apology for everything that had happened.

After getting Wally declared legally alive and making sure Kara was registered for school, another week had gone by. Come Monday, Kara was sitting at her old desk waiting for the bell. As glad as the girl was to be back, she was thrilled to have her mother as her teacher again. Once the class had found out that their teacher and classmate was back, things seemed to fall into place for them. Even Wally had found something to do during the day, for he had been able to get a job with the Palo Alto branch of STAR Labs.

But with everything returning to normal for the small family, Kara couldn't help but feel as like something was off. It wasn't anything big, but it entered her mind only when she had some free time. As she finished her homework one night, her eyes wandered over to her parents. They were sitting on the couch snuggled up against each other watching a movie. Artemis's left hand was in his right with his thumb absently rubbing her ring finger.

"That's it," the young girl said quietly.

She quickly flew to her room and opened her closet.

"Kara, no powers in the house." she heard Artemis call out.

"Sorry mom," Kara called back as she started looking for something. 'Where is it?' she thought looking through some of the boxes in her closet.

"What are you looking for, kiddo?" Wally asked from the doorway to her room.

She looked over at her father and said, "Barbara said her and Uncle Barry found something when they were packing our stuff up for storage and it was put in one of my boxes."

"Need a hand finding it?" he asked as he watched her go back into her closet.

"Nope, Found it." she said before walking over to him and held out a small velvet box.

"So that's where that went." he said softly.

"She told me to hang onto it until you decide to man up." she said watching her father take the box.

"Is that so?" he asked with a laugh, "Well now's as good a time as any. Come on, kiddo. Let's go talk to mom." They went back into the living room to find Brucely was lying across the blonde's lap.

"He got comfy," Artemis said with a slight grin, "So what was so important you took off out of here to find, Kara?"

"I remembered something that belonged to dad was in one of the boxes in my closet," the young girl replied sitting in a chair.

"If you were looking for the off switch for his stomach, forget it," Artemis joked as Wally sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.

"Actually, it was three things she had," he said as he took the former archers hands in his, "The first being an apology. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, that you had to deal with all this on your own, that I ne-"

Artemis placed a finger on his lips silencing him as she said, "You're going to make me cry if you don't shut up."

He kissed her finger before taking her hand in his and continued, "I know and I know I'm going to get hurt if I do. But I need to say this, Artemis. While I can't make up for lost time, there is something I can do now. And that is give you a lifetime of love, hugs, kisses, and the knowledge there is someone on this planet that loves you for who you are."

He slowly moved so he was on his knees in front of her. Her eyes widened as she watched him hold the velvet box up and open it. Inside, resting on a pillow of satin was a gold ring with emerald set between two rubies. She slowly covered her mouth with hand as he said, "I know this isn't what some call a proper engagement ring, but we're not normal and I don't care. You're my spitfire. So I humbly ask; Artemis Lian Crock, will you allow this idiot to be by your side from now until the day we leave this earth and forever in the next world? Will you marry me?"

Tears feel down her face before she softly said, "Wallace Rudolph West, I love you and I will always be there for you; as your friend, your lover, and your wife. But only if you marry me as well."

"In a heartbeat," he said as he took the ring and slipped it on her ring finger. "I love you," he said softly as he reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I love you too," she said just as soft before smacking his shoulder, "You big goof."

"Oh would you just kiss him already?' they heard a voice suddenly ask.

The two looked over at Kara to find Zatanna and Roy looking at them via a holo-screen.

"Kara, why did you call them?" Artemis asked a little surprised.

"Uncle Roy bet Aunt Jade two weeks working as a hero that Wally would ask you to marry him within the first two months of him being back," the young girl replied smiling, "And he called Aunt Zee when dad went down on his knee."

"Other than congrats, we won't tell anyone," Zatanna said smiling, "And yes, I will babysit Kara while you two are on your honeymoon."

"Thank you," Artemis said smiling as she wiped her tears away.

"And I'll make certain Jade doesn't tell you father." Roy said.

"If he finds out I'm sicking Kara on you." Wally stated.

"That would be funny to watch." Zatanna said.

"Considering the ways she's gotten Grayson, I agree." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"I call ticket sales." Wally said as he moved so he was sitting next to his fiancé.

"Anyway," Roy chuckled, "Congrats you guys. And just so you know, Dinah was able to get those changes made. You should be getting the new version in a few days."

"What is he talking about?" Wally asked a little puzzled.

"I'll explain later." Artemis said laying her head on his shoulder.

"And with that, we're going to go so you can tell them. Later," Zatanna stated before the screen disappeared.

The blonde let out a low sigh before saying, "As a way of apology for being a pain, Grayson paid to have Kara's birth certificate updated so it has us as Kara's parents and her full name on it."

"I have a full name?" Kara asked surprised.

"Yes, you do," Artemis said looking at her daughter, "Karan Amelia West."

Kara's eyes filled with tears as she heard her full name.

"A Beautiful name for a beautiful daughter," Wally said as the young girl flew over and hugged her parents.

"Thank you." Kara said as she started to cry.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Artemis said hugging her daughter tight.

"Speaking of which," Wally said looking at his daughter, "You have a Sonic Screwdriver?"

Kara sniffed before saying, "It's in my inside jacket pocket with my laser sword."

"You have a laser sword?" he asked before zipping over to her jacket.

"Wally," Artemis said glaring at him.

"Sorry," he said getting the aforementioned items from his daughter's jacket, "You can hurt me later."

"Planned on it," she said as she watched him walk back over and sit next to her. He looked each item over carefully as he asked, "Where did you get these?"

"I made them." Kara replied a little nervously.

He looked at her surprised for a few seconds then smiled before saying, "You did a great job on the Screwdriver. Does it work?"

"Not completely like it does in the show, but she linked it to her wrist comp so it works just as good," Artemis said. "That's incredible," he said before handing his daughter her sword, "How does this one work?"

"It has three modes," Kara said holding it out to the side and pressing the button. Wally watched as metal pieces started to extend out from the one end.

"With the first being the Dark Repulser? Nice." he said as the pieces formed a blade. She hit the button again and waited until the pieces had retracted before turning a dial on the one end.

"Second is a flashlight." she said as a light shown from the end after hitting the button.

"And the third is the laser sword, right?" Wally asked sounding like a kid in a candy store.

She turned the light off and turned the dial once more before hitting the button again. A beam of blue energy extended out from the end as she said, "Yup. Mom said I can keep this with me as long as I keep it on the flashlight mode."

"Diana is going to start teaching her how to use a sword starting Monday," Artemis said as beam disappeared, "Something else that's nice is that sword is set so only Kara and I can use it."

"You're going to add me to the list of users, right?" Wally asked.

"If mom says I can," Kara said leaning on her mother's shoulder, "She really doesn't want anyone knowing I have this."

"And the more that know the harder it is to keep it a secret," he said with a nod, "Got it. But still."

"If you're good…then we'll see about you being able to use it." Artemis said giving him a wink.

"I'll try." Wally said with a smile.


	31. Chapter 31: Punch Bugs and Amazons

Chapter Thirty-One

Punch Bugs and Amazons...

Training with an Amazon proved to be something Kara wasn't expecting and loved: a challenge. Not just because of the size and experience difference, but because of having to try to anticipate her opponent's next move. Nine times out of ten she was successful, but everyone once in a while she got it wrong. Yet the computer would never announce her training fail for she would quickly rebound to her feet and get set for the next attack. It was long after that she got wind of a pool someone had started as to how long before the computer would announce her training fail.

After three weeks, Diana decided to change this up a little. She had switched out the normal wooden swords with actual ones, but the biggest difference was the opponent. Instead of facing the Amazon like Kara normally did; the young girl found herself staring across from a green teenager.

"Are you sure about this?" Kara asked looking over at the Amazon.

"Yes, I'm sure," Diana said with a gentle smile, "Your reflexes are one of your biggest assets, but you have to be able to outthink your opponent as well as out maneuver them."

"Don't worry about hurting me," Gar said picking up the sword, "I have to learn this stuff to after all."

"That's not it," Kara said looking at the speedster, "I don't like hurting people, especially friends and family."

"We understand, Kara, but you do need to learn how to handle different situations," Diana said almost apologetically, "Now take your stances."

Kara let out a slow breathe as she slid her left foot forward slightly. She tightened her grip on the sword in her right hand and raised her left arm in front of her before she softly said, "Henshin." Her wrist bands appeared instantly as she watched her opponent.

"Are you two ready?" the Amazon asked. Once they both nodded, she stepped out of the ring and said, "You go until your opponent is disarmed. Begin." Kara dropped slightly lower to strike and blinked as she watched Gar started wiping the sword around. _'What does he think this is; some circus act?'_ she thought watching him. She stood up straight after a few seconds and sighed. He finally came to a stop as he took a fencers stance. Kara blinked once before swinging her sword with enough force to knock his out of his hand and send it sliding across the floor.

"Fail Beast Boy," the computer announced as she glared at the teen.

"Gar, what has Kaldur told you about grandstanding like that?" Diana asked looking at him.

"Not to regardless of whom I'm against or if I'm trying to impress someone during practice," he said with a sigh.

"Twenty laps, no changing forms," she said pointing to her left.

"Yes Wonder Woman," he said before he started running.

"Why did he do that?" Kara asked looking at her friend.

"I have yet to understand men," Diana said with a shrug, "Especially when it comes to Valentine's day."

The young girl blinked once before asked, "That's tomorrow, right?"

"Day after actually," Diana said as she walked over and picked up the other sword, "Do you know what Wally has planned for Artemis?"

"All I know is that I'm supposed to spend the night at Aunt Zee's tonight," Kara said with a shrug.

"That might be a problem," Diana said looking at the young girl, "Zatanna got called for a mission about an hour before you got here."

"Y-y-you're kidding?" Kara asked almost sounding scared.

"I'm afraid not," Diana said kneeling in front of the girl, "Let me call Wally and see if it would be alright for you to stay with me tonight, ok?"

The young girl nodded as she gripped the sword tighter. Diana brought up one of the holo-screens and dialed the girl's parents.

"Hello," they heard Wally answer after two rings.

"Wally, this is Diana," the amazon said calmly, "We have a slight problem. "

"How slight of a problem are we talking?" he asked a little worried.

"Zatanna got called for a mission and may not be able to watch Kara tonight," she replied glancing over at the young girl, "If you and Artemis don't mind, I can watch her."

The line was silent for a few seconds before Wally said, "I don't mind as long as Kara and Artemis are ok with it. You'd have to come here and grab a change of clothes for her though."

"M-mom said she was going to drop some off here so I can go with Aunt Zee once I was done training," Kara said a little nervously.

"Hey kiddo, you ok?" he asked sounding worried.

"For the most part," she replied as the Zeta tubes kicked on. "Recognized: Tigress; B-Zero Seven," the computer system announced as Artemis appeared in the training area carrying a duffle bag. Kara let the sword go before flying over to her mother and hugged her.

"Whoa," Artemis said surprised by her daughter's action, "You ok there, sweetie?" "Aunt Zee got called on a mission," Kara said sounding a little frightened. "Oh dear," Artemis said as they walked over to Diana.

"Hey Diana, Zee got called for a mission?" she asked the league member.

"Unfortunately she did. I told Kara she's more than welcome to spend the night at my place," the amazon replied looking at the former archer, "But she seems almost scared of that idea."

"It's because she's never been to your place," Artemis explained, "From what I understand, she was almost the same way the first time she stayed at Zee's. But Cassie, M'gann, and Barbara showed up and made it a little easier to be there."

"That and me and Aunt Zee have something in common," Kara said looking at the Amazon.

"The inspiration of you and your father's most recent prank," Diana said with an amused chuckle, "No offense, but I could never get into that one."

"That is about the only TV show she'll really watch besides anime," Artemis said with a slight shrug, "Otherwise, she likes to read."

"Mom says I'm never to read Fifty Shades of Grey," Kara said quietly, "And don't get me started on Twilight."

"She hates that series," Artemis said.

"That makes two of us," Diana said smiling.

Kara started to smile a little before asking, "You sure it's ok if I spend the night with you?"

Diana knelt in front of the young girl and said, "I would consider it an honor if you did. And if you want, we could try and see if Cassie would want to spend the night."

"That would be fun," Kara said slowly letting go of her mother.

"Before you make any plans about the weekend," Artemis interjected, "I do have a couple of rules, ok?"

"In bed no later than nine, don't pig out on junk or fast food, don't backtalk, and no crime fighting unless someone can step in to help me," Kara said looking up at her mom, "Did I get them all?"

"No caffeine, do not let her forget her jacket no matter where you go," Artemis said gently stroking her daughter's hair, "And because it's a weekend, she can stay up until ten if she wants. Any other questions, you have mine and Wally's numbers."

"I would tell you not to worry, but you're going to worry because you're a mother," Diana said standing up, "But I'll keep her safe."

"Thanks Diana," Artemis said before kneeling in front of her daughter as she set the duffle bag on the floor, "You sure you're going to ok, sweetie?"

"If I have my Tigress, I should be," Kara said looking at her mother. "I made sure to pack her with some clean clothes," Artemis said before giving the young girl a hug, "Stay safe and I'll see you tomorrow. Ok?"

"Ok mom," Kara said returning the hug, "Have fun playing with dad."

"If I don't murder him first," Artemis said before kissing her daughter's forehead and standing up.

"Bye mom," Kara said as she watched her mother head towards the Zeta tubes.

After the computer announced the blonde woman's departure, Diana looked at the young girl and asked, "I don't know about you, but I think we're done with training for the day. Want to go get something to eat?"

"No Chinese," Kara said picking up her bag.

"I've heard about you and Chinese," Diana said with a smile, "So how about pizza?"

"Pizza's good," Kara said smiling. "Now that we got that settled, why am I not supposed to let you forget your jacket?" the Amazon princess asked.

"I have my Sonic Screwdriver and a flashlight in it mom wants me to keep with me at all times if I go out," Kara replied.

"I can understand the flashlight, but why the other?" Diana asked.

"I have my Sonic screwdriver linked to my wrist comp," Kara answered as the two went and started to pick up the training area a little, "It makes using it a lot easier."

Once they had finished, they started walking over towards the Zeta tubes when Kara asked, "Where do you live?"

"Currently, I live in Washington DC," Diana replied looking at the girl, "But my home is an island called Themyscira."

"Where's that?" Kara asked.

"It's an island hidden from the world of man," Diana explained, "No man is allowed to ever step foot there."

"Sounds cool, but let's not go there," Kara said.

"We're not going there, don't worry," the Amazon princess said as the stepped into the Zeta Tube. After arriving in DC, the two made their way to Diana's apartment. But as they walked along, Kara started to get a weird feeling. "You ok, Kara?" Diana asked noticing the girls seemed to be nervous about something.

Before she could reply, a white van suddenly pulled up beside them. The side door opened long enough for a two masked men to reach out and pull the young girl inside before driving off causing her to drop her bag.

"KARA!" Diana yelled as she watched the vehicle drive off.

It had barely gotten ten feet away when it suddenly shot upwards about twenty feet then slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a crater. The back doors blew open as a large man and a purple looking monster were thrown out of the vehicle and came to a stop in front of the Amazon.

"This is not good," Diana said as she watched the young girl shoot out of the back of the vehicle. She barely had enough time to see the girl had summoned her bracelets and was wearing a pair of googles before she punched the man with enough force send him flying another ten feet.

 _'She's good,'_ the Amazon thought as she watched the action. She pulled her phone out and dialed a number knowing that this wasn't going to be good.

"Hello." she heard Artemis say.

"It's Diana. I just wanted you to know that someone made your daughter mad," the Amazon said.

"What happened and what is she doing?" Artemis asked.

Diana stated the events before saying, "She is making Tommy Terror and Blockbuster wish they never tried to grab her. Does Wally watch pro wrestling?"

"No, but Cassie, Jade and Roy do," Artemis said with a sigh.

"You might want to thank them," Diana said with a slight laugh, "Because she's using different wrestling moves along with what Dinah and you have taught her."

"Good point," Artemis said sounding a little amused, "Wally found a live feed on one of the TV stations. You might want to change and get her out of there."

"Way ahead of you," Diana said grabbing Kara's duffle bag and quickly heading down a nearby alley to change.

"I wonder what would have happened if they trashed her doll." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"After seeing this, I never want to find out." Diana said flying up to the roof of the building. She ended the call and made sure their stuff was hidden before going to join the fight.

She landed on street level in time to see Kara grab a Volkswagen Beetle and slap the lone Terror twin with it as she yelled, "Blue punch buggy!"

Tommy staggered back a few feet before the young girl brought it down like a battle axe on his head yelling. "No punch back!"

Diana tried not to laugh as she thought, 'And who says Disney isn't violent?'

Tommy was unconscious and it didn't take long before Kara used the car to make sure that Blockbuster was knocked out then she flew over to Diana and smiled as she landed.

"Well, I think you've worked up quite an appetite, so let's get that pizza."

"OKAY." Kara excitedly said and with that they headed to where Diana had hidden their stuff and after it was gathered, they headed for Diana's home.


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two: Power Girl Returns

Chapter Thirty-Two

Power Girl Returns...

Kara let out a soft whimper as she held her Tigress doll tight. For as long as she could remember, she had never gotten that mad before. Even when it came to bullies at school, she had never lost like she had. As she watched the replay of the day's events on Diana's TV, she couldn't help but wish she was back in her room.

"I just got off the phone with an old friend at the local PD," Diana said as she walked in and sat next to the girl, "Everyone involved in trying to grab you has been arrested and so has Luthor. Seems Tommy forgot to delete a video call he and Lex had."

"Am I a monster?" Kara whispered as she watched the screen.

The Amazon warrior looked at her friend said, "You're not a monster. If anything, you're a girl that decided to vent some pent up anger. It happens to the best of us. Your mother included."

"Mom gets mad?" Kara asked in disbelief.

"She has in the past," Diana said leaning back against the couch, "Usually it was because your father did something crazy."

"She's told me about some of the stuff he's done." Kara said smiling a little.

"There are some things she doesn't know that he did." Diana said before turning the TV off.

"Like what?" Kara asked.

"I remember when he and Nightwing replaced all the air fresheners in your uncle's apartment with air horns once," Diana said looking at the young girl, "Roy spent a week trying to turn Wally into a pin cushion."

"That sounds like something dad would do." Kara giggled.

"And that was only the beginning," Diana said with a laugh, "He bet Superman fifty bucks he couldn't pass as Batman in Gotham."

"That doesn't sound that bad." Kara said.

"While wearing a pink version of the dark knight's outfit." the Amazon said.

"Did he do it?" the young girl asked trying not to laugh.

"We think he may have scarred the Joker for life, but he did." Diana said nodding.

Kara started laughing for a few seconds before asking, "What else did my dad do?"

"It's more like what didn't he do," the amazon said before they heard a knock on the door. "I think that would be dinner." Diana said as she started to stand up.

She left the room for a few minutes before walking back in with her protégé and carrying a couple of pizza boxes.

"Hey Kara, I saw that fight you were in," Cassie said sitting next to her friend, "You ok?"

"I'm getting there." the young girl said hugging her plush doll.

"You'll be ok," the Amazon teen said bumping into her friend, "And besides, I don't think anyone is going to want to face Power Girl now after what happened today."

"That's what I was afraid of." Kara said as a tear slowly slid down her cheek.

"But you're not Power Girl right now; you're Kara, the coolest six year old kid I know." Cassie said smiling.

"But I am Power Girl." Kara said looking at her friend.

"What Cassie is trying to say," Diana said as she placing the boxes in the dining room, "Is that you're only Power Girl if you have your gear on. Otherwise, you are the sweetest six year old girl I have ever had the privilege of meeting."

"I'm not sweet." Kara said looking over at the Amazon Princess.

"No, but you are the only person to troll Nightwing twice and get away with it." Cassie said.

"He asked for that." Kara said defensively.

"We're not saying he didn't," Diana said as she entered the room and sat next to the young girl, "But do you understand what we are trying to say?"

Kara was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I think so, but I still don't like that I did that."

"She's not the only one," they heard a voice say. The three quickly looked behind them to find Zatanna in her gear leaning against a doorframe.

"Hey Zee, what's up?" Cassie said waving at the league member.

"Hi Aunt Zee," Kara said before flying over to her aunt.

The magician hugged her niece tight as she asked, "I saw what happened on the news. Are you ok?"

"Getting there," Kara said as she buried her face into her aunt's shoulder.

Zatanna slowly looked over at the others in the room and asked, "How did this happen?"

"Luthor had some of his men try and grab Kara," Diana said walking over, "And she proceeded to make them regret grabbing her."

"I thought her turning Tommy Terror into a human paddle ball was hilarious." Cassie said relaxing a little bit.

"It was a little funny." Kara said softly.

"No, you're friend is right," Zatanna said walking into the room, "It was hilarious."

The young girl started to smile as Diana asked, "Seriously though, what happened to the mission?"

"Tuppence, Psymon, and Mammoth tried to break some of the prisoners out of Belle Reve," Zatanna replied looking at the Amazon.

"Did you stop them?" Kara asked.

"Me, J'onn, and the Hawks did," the magician replied walking over to the others, "Once the mission was over, I called Artemis to see if you were waiting for me and I found out about the van incident."

"And she can tell you everything that happened over dinner." Diana said before heading into the dining room.

"Hold that thought." Cassie said as her phone started ringing.

"Is everything ok, Cassie?" Kara asked as she watched her friend check her phone.

"Just my mom reminding me about some homework I have to do." the teen said sounding a little down.

"What do you have to do?" Diana asked stepping into the kitchen for a few minutes.

"A report comparing two different stories," Cassie replied sitting in a chair.

"Oh that's easy," Zatanna said as her and Kara each took a seat at the table, "Just pick a title and say it's a better love story than Twilight."

"Kara trolling Nightwing is a better love story than Twilight." Cassie said with a laugh.

"Everything is a better love story than Twilight." Kara said as Diana entered the dining room carrying a couple of plates.

"What are you three talking about?" the Amazon princess asked.

"Things that are a better love story than Twilight," Kara said with a giggle.

"That would be everything." Diana replied.

"Says the woman who threatened the entire League with physical harm if they so much as texted you while watching any of those movies." Zatanna said with smile.

"If you like vampires that are bigger creepers than Batman," Cassie said.

"Nope," Kara said with a shake of her head, "Santa Claus."

"Oh just eat your pizza." Diana said as she took a slice.

Everyone laughed at the comment as they each took one. Over the next hour, they sat there occasionally joking about different things.

"Has Diana ever done something crazy?" Kara asked as she finished her slice.

"Nothing that she is willing to admit to," Cassie said smiling, "Like the time she agreed to try and out drink one of the Hawks."

"That I will admit to and will never do again." Diana said with a slight laugh.

"And when you agreed to try karaoke that one night?" Zatanna asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." the amazon said.

"I have a lasso of truth that says otherwise." Cassie said looking at her mentor.

"As do I, Cassandra." Diana replied.

"Don't make me use the kid." Zatanna warned.

"You wouldn't dare?" Diana said looking at the magician.

"Try me." Zatanna said smiling.

"What are you two talking about?" Cassie asked a little puzzled.

Kara looked up slightly at the young amazon with her eyes wide as she asked, "Why did Robin say he is never taking you to another wrestling event again?"

"Because the only way to stop me from going to beat the wrestlers up that cheated was to make out with me." Cassie replied after a few seconds.

Kara smiled as she looked over at her friend's mentor as her and Zatanna each held a hand out saying, "Pay up."

Diana begrudging placed a few bills in each of their hands as Cassie asked, "Wait, what just happened?"

"Kara and I bet Diana two dollars that Kara could find out why Robin has banned you from pro wrestling events." Zatanna said pocketing her winnings.

"I didn't think she could do it." Diana said with a slight laugh.

"Kara, could you ask Diana what happened the first time she did karaoke?" Cassie said with a slight smirk.

"I don't think so." her mentor said as she started to clear the table.

"She almost started a fight because some idiot told her she'd be better at the strip club down the street." Kara said looking at her friend.

"How did you find out about that?" Diana asked looking at the girl surprised.

"Hal said he was there with a date that night." Kara replied as the other start laughing.

"Of course he was." Diana said before sitting in a chair.

"Oh come on, Diana, lighten up." Zatanna said once she got her laughter under control.

"If it makes you feel any better, mom said that she and Aunt Zee did something crazy once." Kara said trying to cheer her friend up.

"And what, pray tell, was that?" Diana asked looking at her.

"It had something to do with a disguise charm and making everyone think dad and Nightwing were secret lovers, I think." Kara said trying to remember.

"I remember that day," Zatanna said quietly as she smiled, "Those two never did find out what actually happened."

"That explains so much about that day." Cassie said pulling her phone out.

"What are you doing, Cassie?" Diana asked her protégé.

"Letting Wally know what Zatanna and Artemis did that day." the teen said as she got up and left the room.

"No, you're not." the magician said taking off after her.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Diana asked, "Did either one of them ever figure it out?"

Kara nodded as she replied, "Dad did when I asked him about it last week."

"And you were supposed to stay with Zatanna while he got even with Artemis tonight," the Amazon princess said before hearing a scream from her living room, "How is he going to get even with Zatanna?"

"It involves a no questions asked freebie from Aunt Jade, Aunt Zee's bedroom and about forty gallons of ice water," Kara said holding a finger to her lips to indicate it's a secret, "But what exactly did mom and Aunt Zee do that caused all this?"

"No offense, but I'm not even sure I want to know what exactly they did." Diana said smiling.

After convincing Cassie to NOT call Wally, the young Amazon and magician returned to finishing eating dinner.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three: Appointment

Chapter Thirty-Three

Appointment...

Word about what had happened in DC quickly spread like wildfire. While every person was impressed, very little was said about it. Kara had a feeling that either a certain Amazon or magician, if not both, was behind that. But regardless, there was something that everyone noticed about the young girl's mother. Artemis seemed happier than normal. At first they all thought it was because Wally had returned, but that was quickly dismissed for she seemed to be happy regardless if he was there or not.

After two weeks of her excessive happiness, M'gann and some of the others from the team had decided to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, neither Artemis nor Wally would give a clear reason as to what was going on. That left only one person left to ask: Kara. But regardless as to who asked, the young girl simply stated she didn't know why her mother was so happy lately even though she did. As she arrived for training with Black Canary after school one day, she noticed that Wolf and Conner seemed to be waiting for.

"Hi Conner, hi Wolf." she said before giving the venom enhanced animal a hug.

"You know why your mom is so happy lately, don't you?" he asked bluntly.

She was silent for a few moments before saying, "I promised I wouldn't tell until they said I could."

"It's pretty important then I take it, then." he said.

She gave a slight nod saying, "I have to ask them before I can tell anyone, including M'gann."

"I understand," he said kneeling in front of her, "But I do need to warn you, the others aren't going to give up that easily."

"Mom said I can kick their heads in if they start getting on my nerves too much," she said before burying her face in Wolf's fur.

"You could always tell them they have to answer a trivia question before you can tell them," he said.

"I can think of one question I'd like answered." she said looking at her friend.

"What's that?" he asked.

"How long was my dad gone?" she asked.

"It would've been three years this June," he said after a few seconds, "Which means it would be eight years this July since the team first formed."

"Don't you think that is too long for one person not to be happy?" she asked looking at him.

Conner was silent for a few minutes before saying, "That is way too long. Now, you ready to train today?"

She gave a slight nod as the Zeta tube kicked on.

"Recognized: Tigress; B-Zero Seven"

"Hi mom," Kara said smiling.

"Hello sweetie," the blonde said walking over, "Hey Conner. Wolf."

"Hey Artemis, what's up?" Conner asked as he stood up. "Kara can't train today because of an appointment," she replied.

"I do?" Kara asked pouting a little.

"Yes, you do," her mother said looking at her, "And you know that doesn't work on me."

"But it works on Cassie from what I hear," Conner said with a slight laugh, "Hope you don't mind me saying this, Artemis, but you've been really happy lately. Like creepy happy."

"And just how many think I've been 'creepy happy'?" she asked.

"Just about everybody." he said.

"Including Batman?" Kara asked.

"Even Batman says she's been happier than normal." he replied looking at Kara.

"Says the man that dresses like a bat," Artemis said smiling.

"But seriously, what's got you in such a good mood?" he asked turning his attention back to his friend.

"I take it there's a pool going on." she said with a slight shake of her head.

"Cassie and M'gann started it," he said with a slight smile, "Cassie thinks you got a promotion and M'gann thinks it because you got Wally back."

Artemis smiled widened slightly before she said, "You might want to put your money on what Kara is about to tell you."

He looked over at the young girl as she asked, "Are you sure, mom?"

"Go ahead." Artemis said smiling.

"Wally finally asked, didn't he?" he asked sounding smug.

"How did you know?" Kara asked looking at the Kryptonian.

"I helped him pick the ring." he said motioning towards her mother's left hand.

"Good choice," Kara said smiling.

"And could you not tell anyone just yet?" Artemis asked walking over to her daughter.

"Tell them what?" he asked with a shrug, "All I know is that Kara had a doctor's appointment today and couldn't train."

"Thank you, Conner." Kara said before flying over and giving him a hug.

"You're welcome, kid." he said returning the hug briefly, "Mind if I ask what the appointment is actually for?"

"We're supposed to meet up with Zatanna, Jade and my mom to go look at dresses." Artemis replied.

"Can't you just elope like Grandma and Grandpa did?" Kara asked.

"Your father wants an actual church style wedding and Jade is refusing to let us do that," her mother said sighing, "Plus, both mom and I want to see what you look like in a dress."

"Do I get to wear shorts under it?" Kara asked trying to step behind Wolf.

"Mandatory requirement for my junior bridesmaid," Artemis said before her phone went off, "We got to go, Kara, now."

After saying goodbye, the two left the Watchtower via the Zeta tubes.

"Where are we?" Kara asked as they emerged in a back alley.

"Central City, believe it or not," Artemis said as they started walking towards the streets.

"But Grandma Paula lives in Gotham." the young girl remarked as she reached inside her jacket to make sure she had her flashlight and screwdriver.

"True, but Wally's Aunt Iris lives here and set this all up." Artemis said as they stepped out onto the main sidewalk.

Kara smiled as she looked around a little as they walked down the street and asked, "Does that mean Grandma Mary is here as well?"

"Yeah she is," Artemis said taking her daughter's hand in hers. They continued on until they reached the shop. As they entered, the two noticed that the other female members of the League and team were there as well.

"If he told, I'll kill him." Artemis whispered while glancing at her daughter.

"Before you ask," Diana said walking over to the two, "Oliver asked Dinah to marry him."

"About time," Artemis said with a slight smirk.

"And why are you two here?" Cassie asked.

"Her idiot of a boyfriend finally asked her to marry him," Jade said walking over.

"You overheard Roy and Wally talking, didn't you?" Artemis asked glaring at her sister.

"I may have persuaded Roy into telling me," her sister said smiling.

"I don't I want to know what she did, do I?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"No." Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"And I didn't say it loud enough for your friends to hear. So your secrets still safe, Alice." Jade said before walking off.

"Congrats, and I won't tell the others unless you want me to." Diana said.

"Thank you." Artemis said before following her sister.

"When are you going to tell them, mom?" Kara asked after a few seconds.

"I'm not sure." her mother replied as they entered the one room. Over the course of the next two hours, Kara watched as her mother tried on different wedding gowns.

"I'm not sure I like any of the ones here." Iris said as her future niece in law walked out in street clothes.

"That makes two of us." Artemis said sitting next to her daughter.

"You could always try Metropolis and Keystone for one." Mary suggested.

"And you have Gotham as well." Paula said.

"True, but it's not like we're in some massive rush to get married," Artemis said pulling her daughter onto her lap, "We haven't even set a date yet."

"Why not the day you two met?" Kara asked looking up at her mother.

"And you are not eloping to Vegas like a certain someone else we know did." Jade said glancing towards their mother.

"But didn't you elope as well, Jade?" Paula asked.

"Touché," Jade answered.

"But seriously, when are you going to tell the others?" Zatanna asked trying to change the subject a little.

"Well, considering I'm creeping out Batman with as how happy I've been," Artemis said with a slight laugh, "I think now would be a good time. But I'm not sure how to tell them."

"I may have an idea on how to tell them." Iris said with a slight smile.

"Do it after Zatanna gets in on the pool Cassie and M'gann started?" Artemis said smiling.

"Oh I'm already in on it," the magician said smiling, "And you know they're going to freak when you tell them, right?"

"Unless you state that Wonder Woman already knew, then let her deal with the fall out." Jade said smiling.

"I like that idea." Kara said pointing her aunt.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four: The Word Thing

Chapter Thirty-Four

The Word Thing...

Of all the people Kara had ever met, there was one that she liked the most…and that was her mother's friend Alfred. He was extremely polite and enjoyed what he did. So when she found out that he was going to be watching her while her parents had a date night, she didn't mind having to go to Gotham. Within the first hour of her being at Wayne Manor, the two had gotten into an interesting conversation about different stories while playing a game in the kitchen when some unexpected guest arrived in the form of Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake.

"Hey Alfred," Tim said as he entered the kitchen.

"Hello Master Tim," the elderly butler said, "I thought you were on a date with Miss Cassie."

"I was…until the water main in the movie theater broke," Tim replied absently sitting next to Kara.

"What movie did you go see?" Kara asked.

"An old black and white one," he said looking at her, "Parents date night?"

"Yup." she said before placing three tiles on the game board.

"I would not have pegged you for being a Whovian, Miss Kara." Alfred said noticing she had changed his tar to TARDIS.

"Aunt Zee got me into it." she said smiling.

"You can blame your father and Dick for getting her into it," Bruce Wayne said entering the room, "Hello Kara."

"Hi Mr. Wayne." she said waving.

"So, who's winning?" he asked getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

"As of this moment, Miss Kara is four points behind," Alfred said place four tiles on the board.

She looked at the board and placed three tiles down then said, "And you're one point behind now."

"What did she put down?" Bruce asked before taking a drink.

"Serenity," Tim said looking at the word.

"Mom showed me that movie," she said smiling, "Wish they would've kept the series going though."

"You and everyone that fell in love with that series," Tim said.

"I think her love of sci-fi proves she Wally's daughter," Bruce said before taking a seat, "You ok, Alfred?"

"Unfortunately, I have no more moves I can make," the butler said with a sigh, "To you, Miss, Kara, I admit defeat."

Kara pointed to an open spot on the board and said, "If you place an o there it will tie the game."

He smiled before placing the letter there and said, "Then it is a tie. Well played, Miss Kara."

"You too, Mr. Alfred," she said smiling.

"You know, this is the first time I have ever seen Alfred tie with someone when it comes to this game." Tim said with a slight chuckle.

"Just be glad she wasn't playing Dick." Bruce said as his butler put the game away.

"Why do you say that?" Kara asked looking at him.

"Dick had this habit of only using part of certain words," he replied looking at her, "Like whelmed in overwhelmed or aster in disaster."

"Why?" she asked.

"We have no idea," Tim said with a slight laugh, "Don't you have a date tonight, Bruce?"

"That I do," Bruce said before getting up, "It was nice seeing you again, Kara. Did you ever get that laser sword of yours to work?"

She smiled as she patted her jacket saying, "Yup, and it was good to see you too, Mr. Wayne."

"You have a laser sword?" Tim asked looking at her. "Miss Kara can show you that later," Alfred said as a man with dark hair entered the room carrying a large bag.

"Sorry for barging in like this, but my washer and dryer broke." he said heading to the laundry room.

"Oh this is going to be fun." Tim said with a slight chuckle.

"Let me know what happens." Bruce said smiling before leaving the room.

"Master Dick, other than being good to see you, would you please come say hello to our guest?" Alfred asked.

"They've already met, Alfred." Tim said as Dick entered the room.

"Who have I met?" Dick asked.

Kara looked at the man and asked, "Are you my mummy?"

Dick took an involuntary step backwards asking, "Ka….Kara, why are you here?"

"Mr. Alfred is watching me while my parents have a date night," she replied with a slight smile, "And I have a message for you."

"Which is?" he asked a little cautious.

"It's from Barbara, Conner, Uncle Roy, Aunt Zee, and Aunt Jade," she said taking a piece of paper out, "It says if you try and troll my parents tonight, I'm allowed to turn you into a human paddle ball like I did to Tommy Terror. Got it?"

"I'm here just to do laundry and then I'm going home." he said holding his hands up after seeing the smirk on the young girl's face.

"Ok," she said with a nod, "So, now what do we do?"

"Well, if Master Tim would be so kind as to show you around, I can get dinner started." Alfred said heading over to the stove.

"That's not a problem." Tim said as the two got up.

"Can I make a request?" she asked a little nervously.

"Go right ahead." Alfred said looking at her.

"No Chinese or carrots, please." she said with a slight smile.

"Why don't you want carrots?" he asked.

"The doctor said I'm allergic to them at my last check up." she replied.

"I'll make sure there are no carrots used tonight." he said reassuring the young girl.

"Thank you." she said before following Tim from the room.

"So how much of the manor have you seen?" Tim asked.

"Not a lot really." she said as they walked down the one hall.

"In that case; let's start with this room." he said before stopping at a door. As the two stepped inside, she noticed there seemed to be different kinds of tables in the room.

"You ever play pool?" he asked walking over to the one table.

"Nope." she said as Dick entered the room.

"Hey Tim, Cassie's here to see you." he stated.

"Oh. Uh, I'll be right back." Tim said before leaving the room.

"Are you up for a quick game of pool?" Dick asked looking at the young girl.

"I don't know how to play." she said with a shrug.

"It's simple to learn," he said walking over to the pool rack, "Use the cue ball to clear the table of one of two kinds of pool balls before knocking the eight ball down a hole."

"That sounds simple." she said getting handed a pool stick.

"But if you knock the eight ball in a hole before clearing the others, you lose." he said setting the table up.

After showing her the basics, the two started playing for really. By the time Tim had returned, Kara was floating around the table like she was looking for a shot.

"Who's winning?" he asked walking over to where Dick was sitting.

"Still on our first game and it's her shot." Dick replied quietly.

"Side pocket." she said lining up her shot. The others watched as the cue banked twice before knocking the eight ball in.

"And that's game." Dick said with a slight laugh,

"Are you sure you never played this before?"

"Never have," she said smiling, "I think I know what Cassie wanted."

"Which is?" Dick asked looking at the younger teen.

"A kiss," she said before setting the pool table back up like it was when they first entered, "Either that or make-up advice."

"Why do you say that?" Tim asked trying not to sound nervous.

"Probably because that shade of lipstick doesn't look good on you, little brother." Dick said with a slight laugh.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up." Tim said quietly as he left the room.

"Looks like he was feeling the aster," Dick said with a smile.

"I don't want to know." Kara said handing the cue stick back before leaving the room.

She started to walk towards the kitchen but stopped as she came across the study.

"Wow," she said entering the room.

"Looks like you found the study." Dick said from behind her.

"Uh-huh." she said before flying up to one of the shelves.

"Master Dick, have you seen Miss Kara?" Alfred asked walking up to him.

Dick pointed up towards where she was saying, "Right there."

The butler looked up and said with a sigh, "Oh dear."

"What's wrong, Alfred?" Dick asked.

"Her mother left specific orders to not let her see this room until after dinner." Alfred replied.

"Sorry, Alfred," Dick said as he watched the young girl float down and sit in a chair with a book in her hands.

"Her mother also stated that the one that shows her this room is the one that must call her for dinner," Alfred said before pointing at the girl, "And it is time for dinner."

Dick smiled slightly as he walked over to where Kara was sitting. "Come on, mouse, time for dinner," he said taking her book.

Alfred quickly took a step back from the doorway before Dick was thrown from the room and down the hall.

"Was that Dick?" Tim asked as he came running up.

"Unfortunately yes," Alfred said with a sigh, "He was supposed to get Miss Kara out of the study for it is time for dinner."

Tim let out a sigh before walking into the study. He placed a finger on the book and one on Kara's head and gently pushed the book down as he tilted her head back.

"Alfred's done cooking," he said as she glared at him, "You can go back to reading once everyone is finished and not until then."

"Ok, Tim." she said closing the book then putting it on the table.

"Nice throw by the way." he said as the two walked towards the entrance.

"What throw?" she asked giving him a puzzled look.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five: A Special Treat

Chapter Thirty-Five

A Special Treat...

Wally tried not to laugh as he heard about what happened to his friend the next day when he and Artemis stopped by to pick their daughter up.

"Let me see if I got this right," she said closing her eyes, "Kara threw Dick down the hall after he took a book from her and called her a mouse."

Tim slowly nodded as Alfred said, "Unfortunately, yes she did."

"I see," she said smiling a little, "Where are they now?"

"They're in the study reading, believe it or not." Alfred replied.

"I'll get her." Wally said before running off.

"And torture Dick while he's at it," she said with a slight chuckle, "I honestly think there is something plotting against Dick with as bad as my daughter keeps getting him."

"I believe you may be right, Miss Artemis." Alfred said.

"Didn't Bruce have a rule against those two being along in a room together?" Tim asked before they heard laughter coming from the hall.

"I better go make sure they don't break anything." she said before going to find her fiancé and daughter.

She looked in the game room to find her daughter watching her father and his friend playing a racing game.

"What are you two doing?" she asked entering the room.

"Being boys," Kara said looking up from her book, "Hi mom."

"Hello sweetie," Artemis said walking over and giving her daughter a hug, "You ready to go?"

Her daughter nodded before asking, "Can we stop at a bookstore on the way home?"

"You got a weird kid, Wally." Dick said as he took the lead.

"Is it because she likes to read?" Wally asked.

"Because most kids would be asking if they can go to a toy store instead of a book store." his friend replied.

"Barbie's are overrated." Kara said before going back to her book.

"And that is why she doesn't like toy stores," Artemis said sitting next to her daughter, "Once your dad finishes his game, we will. What are you reading anyway?"

"It's a mystery novel by Reina Grayson," Kara said looking at her mother, "It's really good."

"Alfred had to lock the book in Bruce's safe just to get her to sleep last night," Dick said as Wally regained the lead, "And no. The author's not related to me."

"I have to do that with some of the books at home from time to time." Artemis said looking at her daughter. The room was quiet for a few minutes with the noise from the game being the only sound before Dick suddenly pressed paused.

"I'm sorry," he said as everyone looked at him, "For everything you've had to go through the past couple of years; and for being a massive pain lately."

"Why have you been a pain?" Kara asked looking at him, "And you know you have to apologize to Barb too."

"Wally's been my wingman for as long as I've known him," he said looking at the controller in his hands, "We'd always been there for each other."

"Then one day I was gone," Wally said finishing his friends thought, "Dick, I don't blame you for what happened. No one does."

"If anything, we should be thanking you," Artemis said smiling, "Because if Wally had never met you, then the two of us would have probably never had gotten together."

"And life is more fun with her in it." Wally said lightly punching his friend in the shoulder.

"I know I'm glad they meet you." Kara said looking up from her book.

"Besides, who else is going to be my best man when Artemis and I get married?" Wally asked.

"If you ever ask her," Dick said with a laugh.

"For your information, mister I know everything, he asked me three weeks ago." Artemis said with a smug smile.

"About time he grows a pair." he said.

"You're just jealous that mine are bigger than yours." Wally said as they went back to the game.

"Please, yours are the size of strawberry seeds and there is nothing smaller than that." Dick retaliated.

"Banana seeds are smaller than strawberry seeds." Kara said before going back to her book.

"Exactly my point-HEY!" Dick hollered before everyone busted out laughing.

"I love my daughter." Wally said as he regained his composure and won the game.

"She's a good kid," Dick said before turning to look at everyone, "But seriously thou, congrats and I would be honored to be your best man, Wally."

"Thanks Dick." Wally said smiling.

"Well, that's three members of the bridal party down." Artemis said with a sigh.

"Let me guess," Dick said turning his attention to her, "Kara's part of it as either a junior bridesmaid or the flower girl."

"The flower girl is actually Jade's daughter, Lian." she replied looking at him, "Kara is going to be a junior bridesmaid. And yes, she will be wearing shorts under her dress."

"She better be if she's going to be around multiple speedsters," Dick said, "And Lian's going to be adorable as the flower girl. So is Roy on your side Wall?"

"Haven't asked yet, and the shorts were the only way she would agree to do it," Wally said standing up, "but anyway…..we really do need to get going."

"Where are you guys heading?" Dick asked.

"A book store then home," Artemis said as Wally helped her up, "Kara and I have school tomorrow. So today is a family day."

"In that case, enjoy your day." he said.

They said their goodbyes before heading out. While they were in Gotham, and before heading to the Zeta tubes, they stopped at the local book store so Kara could find the book she had been reading. As they entered, they were surprised to see a book signing in progress.

"Talk about luck, sweetie," Artemis said looking at the one sign, "The person who wrote that book you want is here signing copies of it, Kara."

"Cool." Kara said before getting in line.

"I'll stay with her, you go wander." Wally said with a slight laugh.

"Thanks, babe," Artemis said giving him a quick kiss before heading to a different area of the store.

"Where did mom go?" Kara asked as her father stood next to her.

"I think she went to find a book for herself." he said. The line moved at a steady pace. Each person would talk to the writing for a few seconds before heading to the check out. It wasn't long before Kara found herself standing in front of the line.

"Hi, what's your name?" Reina asked smiling.

"I'm Wally, and this is my daughter Kara," he said with a smile, "She started reading your book last night at a friend's place and we thought we'd stop in to get a copy for her."

Reina looked at the young girl and asked, "No offense, but you read it?"

"I got to chapter five before we had to go." Kara said a little shyly.

"So who do you think did it?" Reina asked a little skeptical.

"Unless Daniel has a twin he doesn't know about or hired someone, he couldn't have done it because he was in another state at the time," Kara stated as her voice started to grow slightly stronger, "Which leaves only a hand full of suspects left."

"She has a near identic memory." he said at the author's stunned expression.

"I can tell." Reina said before picking up a book. She flipped the cover opened and signed it before handing it over, then grabbed another book and signed it as well before handing IT over.

"Mala, please let the front desk know that these two are on me," she said looking at her assistant.

"Yes ma'am," she said before walking off.

She looked back at Kara and smiled saying, "I hope you enjoy them both."

"I will. Thank you." Kara said before her and Wally walked away.

"You get your book?" Artemis asked as they joined her family in the checkout line.

"Yeah, but she gave me two." Kara replied holding them up.

"Actually, I think the other one is the sequel." Wally said as they stepped up to the counter.

After getting checked out, Artemis looked at the receipt and said, "Wait a minute, this can't be right. You didn't charge us for my daughter's books."

"I was informed that Miss Grayson herself was covering the cost of those." the clerk stated.

Before she could argue the point, the sound of breaking glass drew everyone's attention to the front of the store in time to see Batgirl hit the ground hard.

"It is almost insulting to see the Bat send a senorita to face me," a large masked man with a heavy Spanish accent said stepping through the opening.

"Wally." Artemis whispered glancing over her shoulder briefly.

"Got it," he said quietly before he zipped to the back of the store with his family. "Sorry to put you on the spot like this, Kara, but…" he started to say as he watched as his daughter picked up one of the book cases and threw it towards the front of the store. The case slammed into the man with enough force to send him flying out the window into the street.

"Go after my friends and it's on like Donkey Kong; Henshin." Kara said as her bracelets and lasso appeared before she was flying off after him.

"Call it in." Artemis said handing Wally her cell before running after her daughter in her Tigress gear.

He quickly punched in a code before saying, "Wally to Watchtower; we have a situation at Stories Apart Bookstore in Gotham."

"Watchtower here," he heard Red Tornado reply, "What is the problem?"

"Bane's here getting his head handed to him by Tigress and Power Girl," Wally replied grabbing their bags before heading over and checking on Batgirl, "They stepped in after Batgirl was thrown through the store's front window and knocked out."

"Acknowledged," the robot said on the other end, "Help will arrive shortly."

He looked towards the front in time to see his daughter slamming the venom enhanced villain into the ground like a rag doll.

"You might want to tell them to hurry; otherwise there might not be anything left by the time they get here." Wally said before ending the call.

He pulled a chair over and sat down to watch the rest of the fight. "Oh they're good." he whispered as he watched his fiancé and daughter double team Bane.

"That hurt." he heard Batgirl say as she started to come around.

"Just in time to watch the rest of the fight." he said looking at her.

"What fight?" Batgirl asked sitting up.

"Bane versus Tigress and Power Girl." he replied looking back out the front of the store.

She looked out the window in time to see Tigress slice the tube connecting the villain's venom injector to the back of his head a split second before Power Girl kicked him in the head.

Wally snickered a little before muttering, "Boot to the head."

"Excuse me…Wally," Reina asked walking up to him, "Is this normal for Gotham?"

"Just about." he said while he shrugged as the villain fall face first into the ground out cold.

"I'm glad my tour here is just today, well I'd better get to a safe part of the store, just in case." Reina said, and with that she headed back to her table near the middle of the store where there was no destruction.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six: Mondays are Vile

Chapter Thirty-Six

Mondays are Vile...

News of Kara's most recent exploit as her alter ego spread like wildfire in her school. No matter where she went, that was all anyone wanted to talk about. As she sat at her desk waiting for class to start, she really wished the day would hurry up and end.

"Ok everyone, settle down," Artemis said as the bell rang. "So, how many of you actually did your reading assignment this past weekend?" she asked walking to the front of the room.

One of the students put their hand up and asked, "Miss Crock, did you see Power Girl's fight in Gotham?"

"What about her in D.C.?" another student asked.

"Let me get this straight," she said crossing her arms, "You would all rather talk about the newest hero and daydream about what it must be like instead of school work?"

Kara slid down in her seat slightly as the class voiced their agreement.

"So, none of you will mind if I call your parents and asking if they received the letter stating that you refused to do your school work because you wanted to daydream about superheroes then?" Artemis asked.

The students looked at each other briefly before going quiet.

"That's what I thought," she said crossing her arms, "If there is time at the end of the day, I will talk to you all about it. Until then, it's class time."

'Thank you.' Kara thought as she watched her mom.

As the day went on, she noticed that her mother didn't call on her as much as she normally did. Usually it was for an assignment's page number or to double check a quote from a book one of the students said. Luckily enough, Artemis had picked up on it as well.

Five minutes before lunch, she turned to look at her class and asked, "Ok, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, Ms. Crock?" one of the students asked.

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed about the fact I haven't had to call on Kara as much as I have had to in the past," she said looking at her students, "Or if there is something else going on. So which is it?"

The room was quiet for a few seconds before one of the students said, "I told my mom how you call on Kara a lot and she thinks your showing favoritism toward her."

"Do you all think this?" she asked a little surprised by the statement.

The class nodded in agreement as one other one said, "My dad thinks that's why she has the highest grade in class and never opens the books."

"That is because she has already read them all," Artemis said before pulling a chair over and sitting down, "She has a near photographic, or identic, memory. It allows her to recall anything she's read almost instantly. I could literally sit her up here and ask her what is the fifth question in chapter one and its answer in each of the books and she can state each one within seconds. Now I have told every one of you that if you finish an assignment during the day; hand it to me and I will grade it then hand it back before class ends, and Kara is the only one that does that. She puts the effort into her work. Those are the biggest reasons I call on her. Now as much as I do appreciate the work you've put into trying to make it so I don't call on her as much, I think there is one other thing that needs to be made clear. Whether any of you, or your parents, likes it or not; Kara is my biological daughter. I don't help her with school work outside of class unless she asks, and that is only if her father can't figure it out." She stood up as she finished talking and looked towards the clock. "Now, since you have two minutes before lunch," she said before putting the chair back, "There is one last thing I want to tell you all. At any point in time from when the two of us got back till now, you could've asked why. But it took me calling you all out on it to get it in the open. Part of my job as a teacher is making you feel comfortable so you can talk to me about things. Apparently, I failed in that area."

She walked over to her desk and sat down as the bell rang. One by one, the students slowly got up and left the room.

Kara waited until the last one left before walking over and asked, "Are you ok, mom?" Artemis turned and gently pulled her daughter into a hug.

"I am so sorry for putting you on the spot like that." her mother said quietly.

"It's ok, mom." Kara replied returning the hug.

"No. It's not," Artemis said leaning back to look at the young girl with tears in her eyes, "I've seen too many kids get labeled as outcasts because of stuff like this."

"They're just jealous that I have the coolest mom ever." Kara said trying to cheer her up.

Artemis laughed a little as she wiped a tear away before saying, "Flattery will not get you a better grade, but thank you for that."

"You're welcome, mom," the young girl said smiling, "Ready to go eat?"

"Yeah, but I need a favor once class starts after lunch." Artemis said as she got up.

"What's that mom?" Kara asked.

"Don't respond to any request I make of you for the rest of the day if it pertains to a subject," her mother said as they left the room, "It's time to see just how hard they've been working."

Once lunch was over, Artemis watched as each of the students took their seats. "Well," she said once the bell rang, "Since everybody's parents have a problem with me calling on my daughter after an average five wrong answers to a question, let's see what happens now. Kara will not be responding to any question I ask her if it pertains to a lesson for the rest of the day unless I tell her otherwise. From this point forward, it's all you. I will deduct five points from everyone's homework today for every wrong answer I get to a question. I will not give extra credit points if you get them right, but I will add five back until the full amount is available again. Now let's begin." A low groan echoed through the class room as the lessons began. By the time she finished the last lesson, the class had answered five questions wrong.

Artemis didn't say a word as she cleaned the chalk board. It wasn't until she was finished before she asked, "Kara, would you like to get those points back for everyone, or not?" All eyes turned towards the young girl as she simply said, "For everyone? No, because they made you cry. I would like to get my points back though."

"In that case, I want everyone to study the areas you missed those questions in," Artemis said looking at the rest of the class, "You will have a five question quiz tomorrow. Each question will be worth five points. Do I make myself clear?"

The class nodded in agreement as the final bell rang.

"See you tomorrow," she said as the students got up and left.

"Um, Ms. Crock," one of the students said after the others had left, "We weren't trying to make you cry."

"I know, Rachel," Artemis said with a sigh, "I think today was just an off day for everyone."

"Okay," Rachel sadly said picking her backpack up, "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Kara."

"Bye Rachel," Kara said packing her bag. She waited until her friend left before looking at her mother and asking, "Mom is something wrong?"

"I'm just a little upset, that's all." Artemis said before she started to lock up her desk.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kara asked a little worried.

Artemis sat down on her desk and said, "No Power Girl for a while; at least not unless you have no other choice, ok?"

The young girl walked over and hugged her mother saying, "I promise, mom. Now can we go home?"

"Sounds like the best idea I've heard all day." Artemis said returning the hug. The left the room and started to walk down the hall.

"Hey mom, would it be ok if Dad and I cooked dinner tonight?" Kara asked.

"Only if you promise not to destroy my kitchen," Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"We won't." the young girl said as they stepped outside.

"Any hint as to what you two are going to make?" Artemis asked after a few seconds.

"You'll like it." Kara said as they reached the car.

"Knowing Wally, it will be take out." Artemis said as got in and went home.

"Want to bet?" Kara asked smiling.

"Ok, what are the stakes?" Artemis said as they pulled into the drive at their house.

"If it's home cooked, you have to take the rest of the night off," Kara said looking at her mother, "If it's take out; I'll wear a skirt to class every day for the rest of the week."

"Deal." Artemis said before they got out of the car.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Night Off

Chapter Thirty-Seven

A Night Off...

Three Hours Later

"You had to have cheated." Artemis said as she sat on the couch.

"Nope," Kara said sitting in chair.

"What are you two talking about?" Wally asked as he entered the living room.

"I bet mom a week of me in a skirt against her taking the night off that dinner was going to be home made," Kara said smiling, "She think we cheated."

"I see." he said sitting on the couch.

"You can't boil water without something exploding, Wally." Artemis said looking at him.

"True, but I didn't cook." he said pulling his fiancés feet up onto his lap.

"I did." Kara said leaning back in her chair.

Artemis looked at her daughter and said, "No way."

Kara nodded before saying, "I called M'gann and she walked me through everything. So it wasn't take out we had for dinner."

"Are you still going to argue this?" Wally asked as he started to massage Artemis's feet.

"Not as long as you keep doing that." Artemis said as she started to relax. He started to smile when they heard the doorbell.

"I got it." Kara said getting up.

She went over and opened the door to find Roy standing there.

"Hi Uncle Roy." she said smiling at him.

"Hey Kara," he said looking at her, "Your mom in?"

"She's getting a foot massage from dad, but yeah." she said letting him in.

"I am not helping you watch Lian or corral my sister," Artemis said looking at the redheaded archer, "It's my night off. Even though I think I was conned."

Roy shifted his gaze to Wally and said, "Left foot, right were the arch of her foot meets her ankle. Apply a little pressure there."

"What's that supposed to do?" Kara asked as she watched her father do as he was told.

Artemis let out a small gasp before her entire body seemed to relax.

"It relieves built up tension in the back muscles," Roy said sitting in a chair, "But Jade wanted to know if there is anyone that you don't want invited."

"Lawrence," Kara said instantly.

"She's right," Wally said with a nod, "We don't want him there or even finding out."

"Why is Jade taking care of our guest list?" Artemis asked sounding a little sleepy.

"Wally called her and a couple of others that know about your upcoming wedding and asked if they could help out tonight," Roy replied, "Something about you needing a night off."

"You two set me up." Artemis said trying to glare at the speedster.

"Are you complaining?" Kara asked.

"No. Just surprised is all." her mother said with a slight laugh.

"Anything else you need, Roy?" Wally asked looking at his friend.

"I have a message from the League about what happened in Gotham yesterday." Roy said calmly.

"Am I in trouble?" Kara asked nervously.

"Quite the opposite," he said looking at her, "They were impressed with the way you and Tigress worked together to take down Bane; so impressed that Kaldur is extending an open invite for you to join the team once you turn ten if you want."

"Thirteen," Artemis said looking at him, "She's not joining the team until she turns thirteen."

"I'll let him know," he said holding his hands up, "Also, Barbara wants to know if she can watch Kara this weekend."

"Depends on homework and what all is going on then." she stated.

"Fair enough." he said standing up.

He started to walk towards the door but stopped as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

"There is one more thing," he said turning to face them, "Wonder Woman called for a League wide meeting last night. She wanted to vote on a new member."

"It had better not be Kara." Wally said.

"We all thought that at first," Roy said smiling, "But it wasn't. It was someone else."

"Ok then who?" Kara asked. Roy reached inside his jacket as he walked over to the couch.

"Welcome to the Justice League, you two." he said holding a League membership card out to Artemis and Wally.

"You mean we're….." Wally asked taking the card.

"Who the meeting was about, yes," Roy replied, "You both are being placed on reserves because of Kara and will only be called as a last resort."

"So we're official, but unofficial." Artemis said looking at her ID card. The image on it was split down the middle with half being her and the other half bring Tigress.

"Oh you two are official members," he said heading to the door, "But you won't be called unless absolutely necessary."

"Dick is going to freak when he hears about this." Wally said trying not to laugh.

"Wait a minute, are you serious about this?" Artemis asked looking at her brother in law.

"If you don't believe me, head to the Watchtower. Got to go, so….later." Roy said before leaving.

The place was quiet for a few seconds before Wally said, "Back in a few."

"Dad no," Kara said looking at her father, "You can find out later. This is family time, remember?"

"And besides," Artemis said as she snuggled up against him, "I'm comfy."

"Yeah," Kara said climbing up next to him and leaning on his shoulder, "We're comfy."

"I noticed," he said with a slight laugh, "So what are you going to do about your class?"

"Not now, Wally," Artemis said softly. They sat like that for a few minutes before they heard Artemis's cell ringing.

"I got it." Kara said getting up long enough to get the phone.

"It's Mr. Blackthorn, mom." she said handing it to her mother.

Artemis kicked it on speaker and said, "Hello."

"Hello Ms. Crock, this is Principal Blackthorn," they heard a voice say; "I've been receiving complaints from the parents of your students about how you've been teaching class. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this; but due to the number of complaints, the school superintendent has decided to terminate your contract with the school."

"You mean…..I'm fired?" Artemis asked.

"I'm afraid so," he replied, "I'm terribly sorry about this. If you would, please stop by while the students are at either recess or lunch to clean out your desk."

"I understand, Mr. Blackthorn." she said closing her eyes.

"Mr. Blackthorn, this is Artemis' fiancé. My name is Wally West," Wally said calmly, "If you don't mind, we will be contacting a lawyer and requesting a copy of all those complaints about this."

"I was hoping you'd say that," the principal said almost sounding happy, "I will be waiting for that call and have all the information ready for them. Have a good evening."

"Is mom no longer a teacher?" Kara asked after the call ended.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie." Artemis said setting her phone in her lap.

"Then that's not my school." the young girl said, leaning against her father.

"But you need to go to school, Kara." Wally said, looking at his daughter.

"I could homeschool her," Artemis said taking her fiancé's hand in hers, "Like I did in Keystone with we stayed with your mom."

"I think we need to seriously talk about this first before we decide anything." he said sounding a little worried.

"But why did you say you were calling a lawyer?" Kara asked looking at him.

"Because I want to know what all these complaints were in particular." he said.

"Can we not worry about it now?" Artemis asked lifting her head up to look at him, "I'll give Dinah a call tomorrow before I head to the school and see if she can come with me to get that stuff. Right now, I just want to relax."

"You're right." he said looking at her, "We can talk shop tomorrow."

She smiled and laid her head back on his shoulder.

They sat like that for a few minutes before Artemis sighed and said, "Get your shoes. We're heading to the Watchtower."

"We are?" Kara asked surprised.

"Yes, now hurry." her mother said.

"You feel it too?" Wally asked zipping over to get there shoes. She gave a curt nod before taking her boots.

"What about Brucely?" Kara asked as she finished tying her shoes.

"He'll be fine, don't worry," Wally said, reassuring his little girl, "Time to go."

He scooped Artemis up in his arms as Kara hopped onto his back after she grabbed her jacket. A slight spark of electricity discharged from the corner of his eyes before he zipped out the back down. The world zipped by as he ran to the Zeta tube. When he finally stopped, Kara slid off his back and onto her knees before throwing up her dinner.

"Holy crap, Wally, have you gotten faster?" Artemis asked as he sat her on her feet.

"I shouldn't be," he said before helping Kara up, "You ok, kiddo?"

"Please don't do that again." the young girl said, a little dizzy.

"I'll try not to." he said before picking her up. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they stepped the old photo booth.

"Recognized: Tigress; Three Seven. Wally West: Three Eight. Kara: A-Two Nine."

"Huh, so they did vote us in." Wally quietly said as they walked to the main area.

"Hush, Wally." Artemis said as they saw the dark knight watching a holo-screen.

"Batgirl and Robin was able to get into your place and get your dog and a few other things out," Batman stated.

"Guess all that senses training with Lawrence wasn't for nothing," she said trying to keep her temper in check, "So you know what's going on?"

"Yes, you were lucky to have picked up on something being wrong." he said as an image of a woman appeared on the screen, "This is Janet Hudson. She is the mother of one of the boys that was expelled for bullying Kara on your first day."

"Never met her, but I remember her son." she said coldly as Kara shivered at the memories of THOSE days.

"Wait a minute. If she's trying to get even with Artemis, why did she wait till now?" Wally asked.

"She didn't have the money or resources," Batman said as an image of a man appeared on the screen next to Janet's, "Two weeks ago, she married Evan McMahon. He is believed to have ties to one of the mobs in Metropolis."

"And now she's put a hit out on me? Great," Artemis said sarcastically, "If that stupid watch wasn't bad enough."

"Um, Batman, what did you mean Barbara and Robin got some of our stuff out?" Kara asked.

The dark knight was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Police and fire crews have responded to a report of a massive fire at your home."

"You mean we don't have a home anymore?" Kara asked sounding a little frightened.

"Oh now she's going to pay." Artemis said as they heard the Zeta tubes kick on.

"Recognized: Batgirl; B-One Six, Robin; A-Two Zero,"

The two announced heroes then came walking over toward Batman and the Wests' dog jumped from Batgirl's arms.

"Brucely!" Kara said before flying over and giving her dog a hug.

"We got just about all your things out thanks to a call to Bart, Conner and M'gann," Batgirl said kneeling next to her friend as she pulled a stuffed doll out of the one bag, "And I made sure to grab this." The young girl's eyes widened before she latched onto the doll and held it tight.

"Thank you." Kara whispered looking at the redhead.

"You're welcome." Barbara said with a smile.

They walked over to where the others were standing before Robin said, "Fire crews were able to contain the blaze to the first floor, but it looks like there's heavy structural damage."

"It won't take long to fix it depending on how bad it is," Wally said looking over at his daughter, "The question now is how we're going to get this chick?"

"I know a way," Artemis said closing her eyes, "But you're not going to like it."

"Does it involve me doing some trolling?" Kara asked.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Superintendent

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Superintendent...

Most teachers tried to arrive at school an hour before classes start in order to get everything ready for the day, but as Artemis entered the school the following morning, it was to clean her desk out. As she walked to her classroom, she was surprised to see the principal leaning against the doorframe.

"You're not being fired, Artemis." Principal Blackthorn said as she opened the door.

"Is that so?" she asked a little skeptical.

"Yeah," he said looking at her with a slight smile, "During the PTA meeting last night, a bunch of the teachers went to bat for you by reminding the superintendent that you were the one that brought the school's bullying problem to light."

"So he changed his mind?" she asked.

"That and your lawyer threatened to sue the school for the complaints against you as she realized that they were being made by one person," he stated pushing off from the wall, "She was forging the other parents' names on every complaint in her own handwriting."

"Talk about a moron." she said with a slight laugh.

"Yeah well, the superintendent is going to be sitting in on your class today to see how you teach." he said.

"No one just sits in on my class," she said looking at him, "You either participate or you get sent to the office. Please make sure he knows that."

"He cut part of the music program's budget and gave it to the high school football program, so no." he said smiling.

"Got it and thank you." she said smiling a little.

"For what?" he asked.

"After hearing about me being fired last night, my daughter decided that she wasn't going here anymore if I'm not here." she said pulling her phone out.

"Well then you're welcome, and have fun." he said before walking away.

She dialed a number as she entered her classroom and waited.

"Hey beautiful, what's up?" she heard Wally say.

"I just got told I'm not fired," she said walking over to her desk, "So can you bring Kara and my teaching stuff here before you go to work?"

"Done." he said before her daughter and her stuff suddenly appeared in the room via a gust of wind.

"Thank you and please find out if you're getting faster." she said before hanging up.

"So you're not fired?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"No. I'm not," Artemis said opening her bag, "So how's your book?"

"I love it." Kara said before she started to tell her mother about it as Artemis got the room ready for the day. By the time the two had finished, the superintendent walked in followed by some of the students.

"Mr. Bagans," Artemis said seeing him enter, "Welcome to my classroom."

"Thank you for letting me sit in on your class today, Ms. Crock." he said.

Kara and some of the other students snickered as Artemis said, "Mr. Bagans, no one is allowed to sit in on my class. If you're here, you will participate or go to the office. No exceptions."

"Oh this is going to be fun." he said before they heard the bell.

"Take your seats everyone," Artemis said as she walked to the front of the room. Once the last of the students had sat down, she smiled saying, "So, we have a guest today. Everyone, please welcome the school superintendent, Mr. Bagans."

The class turned long enough to greet him before looking back towards the front. "Now, Mr. Bagans has been informed of what happens to guests that just 'sit and not participate," Artemis said as she scanned the room, "So let's get started, shall we? Yesterday, I told you all that I would give you a chance to get back the points you lost from answering the questions I ask during lessons wrong. For every question you get right, you will get five points back. Miss one and nothing changes."

The class was silent for a few seconds before one student raised his hand.

"Yes, Mickey?" she said giving him a nod.

"What happens once we get our points back?" he asked.

She smiled as she said, "Good question. Once you gain those points back; you will lose one point for every wrong answer, but you can gain it back on the right ones. Mr. Bagans?" Artemis asked as she saw the superintendent's hand up.

"What do you mean by points?" he asked.

"Participation points," she started to explain, "There are twenty-four students in my class; that is one hundred points apiece. If the entire class can get twenty-four hundred points by the end of the month, I try and do something special for them. Doing things like paying attention in class, be respectful of each other, doing homework and answering questions correctly will get them one point for each one. If they don't do those, they lose points. If I have to discipline them or send them to the office of acting up, their points instantly go to zero. The first time they hit twenty-four hundred was back on Halloween. Since you have decided to join us, whatever points you amass today will be added to the class's daily total. Now before we continue, would anyone like to inform our guest how we do things here?"

The hand of one of the students in the front row went up instantly as if they had been waiting for this.

"Ok, Abby, you can tell him." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

The girl smiled as she stood up then turned to face the superintendent saying, "During class; Ms. Crock will ask us about what we've covered in the lesson. After five wrong answers, everyone has to do five push-ups. Talking during a lesson, when not called on, or when another student is talking will result in a two point lose and five extra push-ups. If you have a cell and answer it, that will mean an automatic forfeit of all points you have gained and is a one way trip to the office for the rest of the day."

"Some of the other teachers have actually started to do this." Artemis said as the young girl sat down.

"I can see why." he said impressed.

"Minus two points and five push-ups," she said crossing her arms as the entire class looked at him.

"Sorry." he said holding his hand up.

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Artemis asked, "Well?"

Mr. Bagans let out a small sigh before asking, "Military or normal style?"

"Count them out either way." she replied.

"Yes ma'am," he said before getting out of his chair.

"Plus five push-ups for calling me ma'am," she said watching him get into position.

"Sorry," he said before he started counting. The class watched as he went down twice before calling the number out. Once he finally hit ten, he moved back into his seat and exhaled slowly.

"Now, we can begin." Artemis said smiling. Over the next few hours, class went on like normal; except she would call on the superintendent after four wrong answers.

Five minutes before lunch, she looked at the class and said, "You guys are getting a lot of questions wrong today." The students smiled as they glanced at each other before one of the girls held her hand up.

"Molly, what's going on?" Artemis asked.

"Some of our parents were at the PTA meeting last night," the young girl stated as she stood up, "My dad threatened to pull me out of school if you were fired."

Artemis stood there shocked for a few seconds before asking, "How many other parents said that?"

She watched as about half the students hands went up.

"I don't know what to say other than thank you." she said smiling.

"You're welcome," Molly said smiling, "And we love watching you pick on any guest we get."

"That's always fun," Artemis said as the bell rang, "Alright, go have fun."

Mr. Bagans waited till the others had left before saying, "I can see why you are favored by your students and some of the teachers."

"You should see me on a bad day," she said walking over to her desk and checking her lesson plan, "You can go play too, but you better be back by the start of class."

"I would ask if you're serious, but I have a feeling that you are," he said standing up, "Unfortunately, I do have an appointment I have to be at in an hour and it is across town. I do have one question before I leave."

"Is it about Kara and her memory?" she asked as her daughter walked back into the room.

"Ok, make it two then." he said with a chuckle.

"I've seen her recall things we covered on my first day here," Artemis said sitting in her chair, "She remembers anything she reads and some things she sees. And if your second question is about a date, I'm engaged."

"Nice to meet you, engaged. I'm married. Actually, I was going to ask just what did you throw at the lunch tray that one kid had on your first day?" he said.

"The pen that was in her left inside jacket pocket," Kara said looking at him.

"I thought they were joking about that." he said with a slight laugh.

"The way I grew up, I had to stay strong and protect not only myself, but anyone I saw in trouble."

"And yet you had enough strength behind the pen to SHATTER the tray?"

"Well, I did work out so I wouldn't get hurt or bullied, and to help my mom out who's in a wheelchair. I got so used to working out like that I keep up that regimen to this day."

"Thank you for bringing the bullying situation to light and I understand that you didn't even KNOW young Kara here was your daughter at that time."

"That's right, I didn't find out till later, but I would do it again for ANY student that was being picked on."

"Well, good day Ms. Crock, and goodbye Kara, you have a wonderful teacher AND mother." Mr. Bagans said as he was right in the doorway.

"I know, sir, and be safe getting to your appointment." Kara stated with a smile.

"I shall." And with that the superintendent was gone.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Pillow Fort

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Pillow Fort...

Barbara was unique as far as Kara was concerned. She was easy to like and fun to be with. But they had a common interest: harassing Dick Grayson. Yet that was not the objective tonight. As the two arrived at the redhead's apartment, they were more focused on not dealing with him.

"What did your mother do that got McMahon to remove that mob hit?" Barbara asked.

"She called Jade," Kara said putting her bag next to a chair, "Something about an agreement between him and Lawrence about targeting each other's families."

"Would hate to be in the middle of that one," Barbara said with a slight laugh, "So what do you think of the place?"

The young girl looked around the room for a bit before saying, "It needs a pillow fort."

"A pillow fort?" Barbara asked not sure what she had heard, "Kara you are one of the strangest tomboys I've ever met."

"Is that bad?" Kara asked.

"No. It just means that you would rather do certain things more than others." Barbara said sitting on the couch.

"You mean like reading?" Kara asked.

"More like doing ANYTHING other than play with dolls and wearing dresses." Barbara replied.

"Barbie's overrated and stupid, and well dresses…only for SUPER special occasions." Kara said before walking over and sitting next to her friend.

"I agree," Barbara said bumping into the young girl, "So how about we build a pillow fort then watch a couple of movies and order pizza?"

"Think we'll have enough pillows?" Kara asked as they heard the doorbell rang, "That better not be one of the boys." Kara said as she watched Barbara get up and go answer the door.

"It's not." she heard a familiar voice say in her head.

"Hello M'gann." Barbara said as she opened the front door.

The Martian smiled briefly before saying, "Hi Babs. I need to commandeer your kitchen.

"Who ticked you off this time?" Barbara said letting her friend in.

"Gar and the others," M'gann said as she went to the kitchen.

Kara got up from her seat and walked over asking, "What are you making?"

"A recipe I've wanted to try for a while," M'gann said placing a couple of grocery bags on the counter before turning to give the young girl a hug, "And I've missed you, Kara."

The young girl returned the hug saying, "I missed you, too. I haven't seen you around Watchtower lately."

"I got stuck on an undercover mission," the Martian said before standing up, "So what all have I missed?"

"Just a Power Girl sighting in Gotham this past Sunday," Barbara said as she watched her friend unload her bags, "Her and Tigress stepped in and took out Bane."

"Good job, Power Girl." M'gann said taking out vegetables from the one bag.

"Thanks, and you don't have carrots in there, do you?" Kara asked as her nose scrunched up.

"Oh yeah," M'gann said holding up a container of baby carrots, "Want one?"

"Allergic." the young girl said taking a step back.

"Good thing the recipe doesn't call for them." M'gann said placing the carrots on the table.

"If it doesn't call for them, why did you get them?" Barbara asked.

"Gar eats these as a rabbit," M'gann said looking at the bag, "I swear, I could've pounded the lot of them tonight."

"What did they do?" Kara asked.

"Besides being them?" the Martian asked looking at her.

"Action, martial arts movies marathon and you just got back from a mission," Barbara said grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, "Dick would do that from time to time without realizing it."

"Try the newest zombie killing movie that came out," M'gann said taking the last of the items out, "So I figured: set up a girl's night, except that Karen, Cassie, and Raquel have dates, and Zee is spending some time with her dad."

"Whereas I'm watching Kara tonight and you figured helping us build a pillow fort would be fun?" Barbara asked. "Good call."

Kara said as she watched two of the items her friend brought lift off the counter and be put in the freezer, "What were those?"

"Ice cream and a pillow fort sound great," M'gann replied looking at the young girl, "So is there anything else I missed?"

"Dad asked mom to marry him." Kara said smiling.

"You're kidding?" her friends asked together.

"Nope," Kara said with a smile.

"When did he ask?" M'gann asked.

"A week after we trolled Dick." the young girl stated.

"Which was three weeks before the DC incident," Barbara said before placing a hand over her mouth, "Sorry. That slipped out."

"It's ok." Kara said looking down at the counter top.

"What DC incident?" M'gann asked quietly.

"I'll explain later," Barbara said as she watched her young friend, "You ok, Kara?"

Kara nodded before looking at her saying, "I'm ok."

"Do you want to talk about it?" M'gann asked.

"I'm supposed to talk to Dinah about it when she gets back from her vacation," Kara stated before her stomach growled, "Sorry."

"Its fine," the Martian said before getting a skillet down, "If anything that's my cue to get dinner started."

"What happened in DC?" M'gann asked Barbara mentally.

"Kara lost her temper and beat the living crap out of Tommy Terror and Blockbuster when they tried to kidnap her," Barbara replied sitting at the kitchen table, "The news ran footage someone had recorded with their phone and now Kara sees herself as a monster."

"But she's not a monster." M'gann replied as she got a knife from a drawer.

"We know," the redhead replied looking at the little girl, "But Dinah thinks there may be a deeper problem than what we know."

M'gann was silent for a few seconds before putting the knife back. "How does chicken sound for dinner?" she asked grabbing the phone.

"Ok, but I thought you were going to cook." Kara said a little surprised.

"What I plan on making will take about an hour to make," M'gann said as they heard the doorbell. "And well your stomach won't wait that long."

"Grand Central Station," Barbara said getting up and walking over to the door. She opened the door and smiled before saying, "Artemis, what are you doing here?"

"Kara forgot this." the blonde said holding up a stuffed toy.

"My Tigress," Kara said seeing her doll before going over to her mother.

"Wally noticed she was still on your bed." Artemis said handing the toy to her daughter.

"Thank you." Kara said holding it tight.

Almost sensing what had been said earlier, Artemis knelt down and pulled her daughter close whispering, "You are not a monster. You're my daughter and your father and I love you, Kara. Please remember that."

"I know, mom, and I love you both." Kara whispered burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Hey Kara," M'gann asked walking over, "Do you mind if I ask why do you think you're a monster?"

The young girl was silent for a few moments before quietly saying, "Because that's what my foster mom said I was."

"And she was an idiot, I mean Arsenal was able to beat the crap out of her and she's supposed to be Luthor's TOP fighter." Artemis said sounding a little upset. She took her daughter's face in her hands and looked her in the eyes saying, "Listen to me, Kara. Only a monster would let people get hurt. Instead of doing that: you not only saved the people in those stores, Barbara and me, but you brought your father back. Those are things a hero does, and it's why the news dubbed you Power Girl; because you are a hero."

"Really?" the young girl asked as tears started to form.

"Yes, you are," Artemis said before kissing her daughters forehead, "So no more talk about being a monster, ok?"

Kara nodded before wiping her eyes and smiled brightly saying, "Ok, mom."

"Behave for Barbara and I'll see you in the morning," Artemis said giving her daughter one more hug before standing up.

"Ok, bye mom." Kara said.

She waited until her mother and closed the door behind her before looking at Barbara and asked, "How can I behave if I don't know what a have is?"

"You've been hanging around Dick way too long." the redhead said with a sigh then looked at the girl.

"Well dad did ask him to be his best man." the young girl said before the door swung back open revealing Artemis had returned.

"Barbara, MOH yes or no?" the blonde asked pointing at her friend.

The redhead blinked twice before saying nervously, "Yes, I think."

Artemis shifted her gaze to M'gann and asked, "B.M. Yes; or no?"

"What's a B.M.?" M'gann asked.

"Kara will explain later, just yes or no." Artemis said soundly like she was in a rush.

"Uh, yes?" the Martian said unsure of what she was agreeing to.

"Thanks. Later." Artemis said before pulling the door shut. The room was quiet for a few seconds before Barbara asked, "What just happened?"

"You two agreed to be mom's MOH and B.M." Kara said looking at her.

"And just WHAT exactly did we agree to?" M'gann asked.

Kara looked over at the Martian and said, "You know, Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid."

"Oh," the two said as they understood the acronym before looking at the young girl and asking, "Why?"

"Dad said its part of some plan of mom's to torture Dick." Kara said with a small shrug. "Are we getting chicken for dinner?"

"Uh, yeah," Barbara said before hearing a double knock on the door.

She reached over and opened the door to see a well-dressed man standing there holding a couple plastic takeout bags.

"Hi Mr. Alfred," Kara said waving at him.

"Hello Miss Kara. Miss Barbara," the butler said with a smile as he held out the bags, "A certain bird asked if I could drop these off for you."

"And would this bird be of the troll variety?" M'gann asked as her friend took the bags.

"Fortunately, this one is more on the red breasted bird type," he replied before giving a slight bow, "Have a good night."

"We will and thank you," Kara said with a slight curtsy, "Bye Mr. Alfred."

Barbara pushed the door closed before saying, "If you're listening, Tim, thank you. Now let's eat."

Barbara set everything out and soon enough the three female heroes were enjoying dinner.


	40. Chapter Forty: Increase and Decrease

Chapter Forty

Increase and Decrease...

"She doesn't act like a normal six year old." Jamie said as he watched Kara training with Wally a few weeks later.

"I told her that once." Cassie said before sweeping the teen's legs out from under him.

He hit the ground with a thump before the computer announced his fail.

"She said define normal." she said.

"Focus Jaime." Dinah said from where she was watching on the sideline.

"But he does have a point," Cassie said crossing her arms, "Kara isn't your normal six year old."

"Considering who she spent two years of her life with, I'm surprised she isn't trying to kill us all," Jamie said sitting up.

He went to get up but stopped as a blue beam of energy appeared next to his left temple.

"Never talk about those two again. Got it, cannon fodder?" he heard Kara say coldly.

"G-got it." he said before swallowing.

"Good." she said before the beam disappeared.

"That's a new one." Cassie said as her friend walked away.

Dinah walked over to were Wally was and asked, "What was that about?"

"From what I've gathered from Artemis and my folks," he said watching his daughter put her laser sword away in her jacket pocket, "The easiest way to make her mad is to say something like Jaime did. She knows she'll never be as normal as some of the kids in her school and she hates being reminded of it and REALLY hates being reminded of Sportsmaster."

"I wonder why she would want to be normal." Cassie said walking over.

"Fear," he said looking at the Amazon teen, "She's afraid she'll hurt me or Artemis while trying to do nothing more than gives us a hug."

"But she's got more control over her strength then I did when I was her age." she said surprised.

"But what if I lose that control?" Kara asked walking over to them.

"That is why you've been training with Dinah and the ones that have your kind of strength," Wally said kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his, "It's to help you keep control."

"I know, but still." she said fearfully.

"You didn't lose control when you were sparing with me no matter what I did." he said lightly squeezing her hands.

"You've been trying to make me lose control?" Kara asked as her shock was apparent in her voice.

"No, I've been trying to see how much control you have." he said with a soft smile.

"Think of your control like your strength." Dinah said kneeling next to her,

"Once we know what your limit is, we start to work on expanding it, so you have more control."

"Does that make more sense?" he asked.

"A little," Kara said before they heard the Zeta tubes kick on.

"Recognized: Flash, Zero-Five"

"Hey, Uncle Barry," Wally said looking over at his former mentor.

'Hey, just the two I was looking for." Barry said before zipping over.

"You have?" Kara asked a little surprised.

"Yup," he said holding out what looked like the handle of a label maker attached to a calculator, "I need you to squeeze this with one hand as hard as you can, Kara."

She sighed before taking a hold of it saying, "Ok."

"What is that?" Cassie asked as the young girl started to squeeze the handle.

"STAR Labs built this to help monitor Kara's strength," he said watching her. The device beeped after a few seconds before Kara let it go.

"Harder to squeeze it this time, wasn't it?" he asked looking at the young girl.

Kara nodded as she flexed her hand saying, "It barely felt like it was moving."

"That's because this was sent at the level you moved it to the last time you used it," he said checking the numbers, "Which was clear back in the middle of November."

"Barry, what's going on?" Dinah asked standing up.

"When STAR first found out Kara was generating electrical energy, they determined that the part of that energy was being transferred to her muscles," he started to explain; "Thus increased her strength to the point she could've given Superman a black eye."

"But since she's no longer connected to the Speed Force," Wally said as it dawned on him what his uncle was saying, "She's no longer generating that energy."

"I'm confused." Kara said looking from her father to her uncle.

"That's makes two of us, chica." Jaime said.

"Think of Kara's strength like a video game and the excess energy is your desire to play it," Dinah said looking at the two, "It's strong at first, but starts to go down over time."

"And according to this, Kara, you're half as strong as you were when you were first tested," Barry said looking at her, "Which is about Wonder Woman's current limit."

"You mean I'm losing my strength?" Kara asked hopefully.

"Like a laptop being used without it being plugged in," Barry said kneeling in front of her, "You're still going to be strong, but not as much as you were. If anything, you'll be able to give Conner a challenge at arm wrestling once the last of that energy wears off."

"That's fine." she said as she started crying.

"First time I've ever seen someone happy about losing their powers." Jaime said.

"That's just it, Jaime," Barry said looking at him, "She's still going to have her powers; it's just that she isn't going to be as strong as she used to be."

"I need to tell Artemis about this." Wally said pulling his phone out.

"I already told her," Barry said looking at his nephew, "She just about freaked out."

"You mean like Kara did?" Jaime asked looking up.

They followed his gaze to see the young girl laughing as she was flying in circles overhead.

"Get down here." Wally said with a laugh.

She flew down and hugged her father.

"This is great." she said smiling hugging him tight.

"You still just a tad strong, kiddo." he said patting her on the back.

She loosened her grip a little saying, "Sorry."

He held her tight as he said, "It's ok, kiddo. It actually felt good having you do that."

She smiled as Barry said, "The doctors at STAR Labs think the last of her excess energy should be gone in about another week."

"What about the rest of her powers?" Dinah asked.

"Nothing changes," he said looking at his fellow League member, "Her strength was the only one of her powers that was effected by the excess energy. She'll still be able to fly and use her x-ray vision."

"I like flying." Kara said laying her head on her father's shoulder.

"We hadn't noticed." Jaime joked.

"You're next, cannon fodder." she said looking at the armored teen.

"Save it for later, kiddo." Wally said ruffling the girl's hair.

"But speaking of powers," Barry said looking at his former protégé, "Artemis was right about you being faster, Wally."

"I am?" Wally asked a little surprised.

"They think it may be because of the way Kara brought you out of the Speed Force, but you basically gained part of her speed." Barry stated.

"How much of my speed did dad get?" Kara asked sounding a little worried.

"There is a possibility he's faster than me now." he said looking at her.

"That would explain why I feel like I'm doing some things faster than I used to." Wally said more to himself.

"Wally, when was the last time you ate?" Dinah asked, noticing that he hadn't eaten ANYTHING since coming to Watchtower.

"He had a protein bar before we came here." Kara said looking at her friend.

"And I'm probably going to be stopping on the way home to get something to eat." he said.

"Which is normal for Wally," Cassie said.

"Jaime, have Scarab run a scan on Wally to see if there is any change." Barry said.

They were quiet for a few seconds before Jaime said, "Scarab says Wally seems to be giving off some sort of residual energy. The same kind that gem was emanating that we had to get from STAR Labs a few months ago."

"Kara, how many of those did you have?" Dinah asked.

"The one from STAR labs and the one in my necklace," the young girl replied, "Is dad going to be ok?"

"He's fine actually," Jaime said looking at her, "The energy is basically doing to him what it was doing to you."

"Except its making me faster instead of stronger," Wally stated.

"I think we better test this to be sure." Barry said.

"Can I watch?" Kara asked.

"All I'm going to be doing is just running on a treadmill," Wally said putting his daughter down, "But you need to finish training for the day."

"Actually, I was just going to have you run four laps around the training area." Barry stated.

Dinah brought up a holo-screen and set up a timer on it before saying, "Time starts when you start running and will stop after you pass here four times. SO whenever you're ready."

Kara noticed a slight crackle of electricity come off the corner of her father's eyes before he took off running.

"I wonder how fast he's gotten." Cassie said before the speedster stopped in front of her munching on a protein bar.

"One point one five seconds," Dinah said reading the time.

"Sorry but the time's wrong," he said finishing the bar, "Cause it's not factoring in the trip to the kitchen area to get a couple of these."

"How many did you grab?" Cassie asked as he started opening another.

"I grabbed five and this is my fourth one." he said before taking a bite.

"Sounds like me when I ran like that." Kara stated.

"What do you mean?" Barry asked looking at her.

"I was always super hungry when I used my speed," she said looking at him, "But otherwise I was fine."

"She may have something there," Jaime interjected, "Because Scarab is saying that Wally's metabolism went up massively while he was running and is returning to normal now that he's stopped. Well, normal for him."

"That is weird." Wally said finishing the bar.

"Until we can fully figure out how being in the Speed Force affected you, I suggest you don't use your speed that much, Wally." Barry stated.

"Not a problem, Uncle Barry," Wally said with a nod, "But we do need to find out what Kara's current strength is though."

"I know how we can find that out." Kara said looking at her dad.

"Oh yeah, how?" he asked looking at her.

She looked over at Jaime as she cracked her knuckles and said, "Hey cannon fodder, it's later."

"Just don't use that blue beam…" Jaime said as fear was coursing through his body and Scarab was trying to tell him to calm down.

"No promises." Kara said with a somewhat evil grin.


	41. Chapter Forty-One: The Perfect Dress

Chapter Forty-One

The Perfect Dress...

Following the discovery of what was happening to Kara's powers; things seemed to calm down a little. It was at this point Artemis finally decided to make it known to the rest of the League about her and Wally's engagement. While everyone appeared to be happy about it, most were just shocked that the speedster had finally purposed. Something that had been completely surprising was that Batman had agreed to foot the bill for both Artemis and Dinah's weddings. No one knew why, but some had the feeling it was to pay off a private bet.

Almost a week had passed and Artemis found herself in a spot she never thought she would be in. Dinah had convinced the former archer to bring her bridal party to where she was getting her dress to see if she could have any luck in finding one she might like. That idea at least sounding good on paper; but that was far from the truth. Everything was going great until M'gann had tried to convince Kara to try on a pink dress.

"Get that thing away from me." Kara said hiding behind her mother.

"But you would look so cute in this." M'gann said holding up a dress that looked like would fit the young girl.

"My daughter is not wearing pink." Artemis said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Even if it's just for here," the Martian asked.

"No!" Kara yelled glaring at her friend.

"And here I thought this was going to be boring," Jade said from where she was sitting.

"Oh you think this is funny do you?" Artemis said looking at her sister.

"Hilarious," Jade said smiling. Artemis pointed at the rack where M'gann had found the item and said, "The only way Kara is trying that thing on is you wear one, Jade."

"Not in this life time," her sister said.

"Then shut it, Mufasa." Artemis said.

"Whoa. Easy Artemis," Zatanna said placing a hand on her sister in-laws shoulder, "What's got you so wound up?"

The blonde took a slow breathe saying, "Wally and the guys are supposed to be working on the house today."

"Yeah, Wally plus hammer isn't good," M'gann said with a slight shudder, "Remember the last time he tried to fix something that wasn't electronic?"

"Batman still hasn't forgiven him for the chainsaw incident." Artemis said with a slight laugh.

"I would ask, but I don't think I want to know," Paula said with slight laugh.

"Neither mom or dad will tell me what happened but I want to know what happened." Kara said.

"A trolled Wally, Nightwing, a chainsaw and the cave's electrical box," Barbara said looking over at the young girl.

"He tripped, didn't he?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Zatanna said smiling, "Which sent the chainsaw into the fuse box, and him tumbling into your mom."

"And she turned him into a human target almost immediately afterwards." M'gann said as she remembered that day.

"She does not need to know anything more about that day." Artemis warned.

"Dad did something he shouldn't have." Kara giggled.

"Not another word out about it; or you're wearing that dress M'gann found to school Monday." Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"Deal," Kara said.

"Now that we have that out of the way," Dinah said with an amused chuckle, "Shall we get started?"

"I think we better," Artemis said looking at her fellow League member, "So which dress should I try on first?"

"Oh you won't have too," Dinah said smiling, "M'gann is."

"I am?" the Martian asked surprised.

"After she changes into Artemis," Barbara said as she caught onto what the elder woman had in mind.

"I don't get it." Kara said a little puzzled.

Artemis sat on a couch and lifted her daughter onto her lap then said, "Watch and you'll understand."

All eyes watched as the Martian stepped up onto a small platform; her features changing into the bride to be as her clothes changed to one of the dresses that was hanging around the room.

"Wow." Kara quietly said as her eyes widened.

"So what do you think?" M'gann asked as she turned in a circle.

"Please tell me my butt isn't that big." Artemis said.

"No, it's bigger," Jade joked, "Next."

"And you have the figure of a pencil?" her sister asked glaring at her.

"Girls," Paula said looking at the two.

"Mom got in trouble." Kara snickered as she watched M'gann change into a different dress.

Over the next couple of hours, the Martian would change into the different dresses in the room while looking like her former teammate. With each dress rejection, Artemis began to wonder more and more.

"Looks like we're down to the last three," M'gann said before changing into one of them.

The room was silent for a few moments before Paula finally spoke up, "Who in the world would wear something like that?"

"This one doesn't look that bad," M'gann said looking towards a mirror. Barbara got up and moved another mirror so her friend could see the back of the dress and asked; "What about now?"

The Martian turned bright red before changing back into her street clothes and asked, "Seriously, why would someone want to wear that?"

"I don't know," Artemis said looking at her sister, "Why did you wear that when you eloped with Roy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Alice." Jade said smiling.

"Kara, your one aunt is a pervert." M'gann said looking at the young girl.

"And?" Kara asked with a shrug.

"Ok. Moving on," Barbara and Zatanna said trying not to laugh at their friends antics.

The Martian quickly changed into one of the two remaining dress and smiled saying, "I thought this one was pretty."

"Pretty, yes; but I am not wearing anything that looks like if came from the sixteenth century or that involves me wearing a corset," Artemis said crossing her arms, "Next."

M'gann changed into the last dress and looked at herself in the mirror for brief second before asking, "This is the last one, guys."

"No, on two counts," Dinah said getting up.

She walked over to one of the racks and started looking through it as Zatanna asked, "What do you mean two counts?"

"Let me show you," the blonde said turning to show two different dresses, "M'gann, could you show us what the top half of the one in my right would look like with the lower half of the one in my left?"

"Uh, sure." the Martian said before changing into the combination of the two dresses.

"Straighten the skirt so it flares at the hip slightly." Paula said catching on to what the league member was doing.

"Like this?" M'gann asked as she made the adjustment.

"That's it," Artemis breathed staring at her friend, "It's perfect."

"Not yet," Zatanna said with a knowing smile, "Shorten the skirt to just above the ankles and Artemis's boots but white."

Once the changes were made, Zatanna took a picture with her phone and said, "Now, it's perfect."

"You know, out of all the dresses you had your friend turn into, I don't remember seeing that one." Jade said looking at her sister.

"I do." Kara said pointing over at the pink one from earlier.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Artemis asked before they started laughing.

"I better go let my friend know your choice." Dinah said once her laughter died down. She grabbed the pink dress and left the room as M'gann turned back into her normal self.

"Now that that's done," Jade said after a few seconds, "How about we have some fun?"

"If it's illegal, count me out." Paula said looking at her daughter.

"Actually, it's perfectly legal," the former assassin said smiling, "It just involves picking on Roy and the others."

"Depends on what you want to do." Artemis said.

"Have you ever worn his old costume in front of him, just to see what he would do?" Jade asked looking at her sister.

"No why?" Artemis replied.

Barbara held her phone up and smiled asking, "Want to find out?"

"This is wrong on so many levels," M'gann said smiling, "…..So where do we start?"

"Can we start with Dinah?" Kara asked as said woman walked back in.

"What about me?" she asked unsure of what was going on.

"They're going to pick on the boys," Paula said with a sigh, "Not completely sure how, but I think it may have something to do with M'gann's shape shifting ability."

"And our own takes on their costumes," Artemis said looking at her mother, "Which means Kara can't be here."

"Aw, but I want to help." the young girl said looking up at her mother.

"If you stay, then who is going to go get ice cream with me?" Paula asked.

"I think the ice cream store across the street has blueberry." Zatanna said looking at her niece.

Kara was quiet for a few seconds before hopping off her mother's lap saying, "Have fun torturing dad."

With that Kara and Paula headed out.


	42. Chapter Forty-Two: Father Daughter Time

Chapter Forty-Two

Father Daughter Time...

It had taken a little over a week to fix all the fire damage, but Kara really couldn't care less. Outside of being glad to be home, she was extremely happy that she was being able to spend a day with her father. Normally, they would only have a few hours on the weekends to be together largely because of his work. But as they finished eating lunch, she couldn't care less.

"That was good." Wally said as he leaned back in his seat.

She nodded as she finished off her milkshake before saying, "Mom and I never went out to places like this."

"Artemis always did prefer eating healthy as compared to fast food and take out," he said smiling as he watched her, "There were very few times we actually did go eat out."

"Mom and Grandma Mary are great cooks." Kara said.

"What about you're Grandma Paula?" he asked.

"She's good too." she replied.

They were silent for a few seconds before she said, "I take it you didn't like Aunt Jade's idea."

"I'm just trying to figure out how she conned Artemis into those poses." he said with a slight laugh.

"That wasn't mom." she said with a giggle while looking at him.

"If that wasn't Artemis then who?" he asked before it dawned on him, "…..M'gann. She took on Artemis's form and my old costume."

"Mom said it was her take on it," she said quietly, "Are you going to get even with her?"

"Not today," he said as the bill arrived, "Today is just for us. So, what do you want to do next?"

She thought for a few seconds before saying, "Can we go to a toy store?"

He pulled out his wallet on the table and chuckled a little saying, "I thought you hated dolls."

"Just the one," she said with a nod, "But M'gann and Grandpa Rudy think I need to be a kid though."

"I know what they mean." he said placing a couple of bills on the table.

"You do?" she asked.

"Most kids your age watch cartoons instead of read, play with toys and video games instead of building lasers swords; even though yours is totally cool," he said looking at her, "and playing sports instead of training with everyone that you do."

"Is that bad?" she asked looking at him.

"No, it just makes you unique," he said with a gentle smile, "But why do you want to go to a toy store?"

"I wanted to get a game." she said looking down at the table.

"Then let's go get your game." he said standing up.

They left the diner and went to a nearby toy store.

"So what game do you want?" he asked.

"Monopoly maybe," she said as they walked to where the board games were, "Gar said there's one he thought I might like. It was based on my sword, but it's hard to get."

"That game," he said with a sigh, "You almost have to order that one."

"Figures." she said looking at some of the games.

"Let's go see what else they have." he said as his phone rang.

"That's probably mom." she said almost sounding a little sad.

"It is," he said checking the caller ID before answering, "Hey beautiful. What do you need?"

"Sorry for interrupting your time with Kara," Artemis said over the phone, "But by any chance are you two at the toy store?"

He put his phone on speaker before saying, "Actually, we're there in the board games section right now. Why?"

"Hi mom." Kara said as he father knelt next to her.

"Hello sweetie." Artemis said with a slight laugh, "Bart told me about a game he thought you might like and I think I may have found a copy of it."

"You did?" Kara asked hopefully, "Where?"

"Over in electronics on the other side of the store." Artemis said.

"Ok. We'll see you there in a few." he said before ending the call. As they walked over to that section of the store, Kara would stop briefly to look at something.

"If there's anything you want to look at, just let me know." he said after the fifth time she stopped.

"Why are there so many different toys?" she asked looking around.

"Well, this is a toy store." he said watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

"But why are some labeled for boys and others for girls?" she asked.

He thought for a second before saying, "Because not everyone is into the same things. Most boys prefer cars or action figures; while most girls like dolls and ponies. What about you though? Which would you rather play with?"

She looked around for a few seconds before saying, "None of them really; they all kind of look stupid."

"I agree." he said as looking forward. As they arrived at their destination, he noticed that Artemis was talking to one of the employees.

"About time you two get here," she said looking over at them, "What took you so long?"

He pointed at their daughter saying, "She got distracted."

"Oh really, did you find anything you like sweetie?" Artemis asked looking at the young girl. Kara slowly shook her head as she stared at the employee.

The man knelt in front of her saying, "Well aren't you a cutie."

"Don't call me cute, Chris," she said taking a step behind her mother.

He blinked at her response and asked, "How did you know my name?"

"Your nametag," she replied.

Chris laughed.

"Sorry," Artemis said reaching down and taking one of her daughter's hands in hers, "She really hates being called that but she is very observant."

"I understand," he said standing up with a laugh, "I have a niece that is going through the same 'don't call me cute' phase right now."

"Yeah well, Kara's always been like that," Wally stated, "She hates being called cute."

"Anyway," Artemis said before picking up a video game case and showing it to her daughter, "Is this the game you wanted?"

Kara looked at it and smiled a little as she nodded.

"That's what I was afraid of," Artemis said before looking at Wally, "It's for a system we don't have."

"Can I ask for it for my birthday then?" Kara asked quietly.

"Actually," Wally said looking at his fiancé, "If you don't mind, Artemis, I was kind of hoping to get it for her as a late birthday and Christmas present."

"Are you sure we can afford it?" Artemis asked looking at him.

"Yeah, and you're probably going to smack me," he said with a sigh, "I've had about a two hundred bucks taken out of my check each week and placed into a savings account."

"You what?" she asked unsure if he heard him right.

"It was originally to cover the cost of our wedding and to get Kara something," he said a little sheepishly, "Plus we always have enough to cover the bills and not have to worry about borrowing money from our families or friends."

"Other than I really wish you would've told me about this sooner, Wally," she said with a sigh, "You and I are going to have a talk about this later." She looked back at the employee and said, "I guess we're getting the game and the system for it."

"Ok, then let's go get the right system for you then get you rung up." he said.

After getting a game console, they went over to the checkout. Once everything had been paid for, Artemis looked over the receipt and noticed something. "Wait a minute, this can't be right," she said looking at the employee.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "You gave us three extra games and that can't be the price of the system." she said pointing at each thing on the receipt.

"We're currently having a sale on all game consoles," he said picking up a flyer and pointing at spot on the front page, "They're twenty-five percent off and come with two random games and a movie for free."

"Ok, but what about this third one?" she asked pointing at it on the receipt.

"That is actually the complete Blu-ray version of the show the game your daughter wanted is based on." he replied before slipping the flyer into her bag.

"Oh. Thank you." she said before walking over to where Wally and Kara were waiting.

"What was that about?" he asked as they left the store.

"Did you know they had a console sale going on?" she asked looking at him.

"Kara pointed that one and another out while we were waiting for you." he replied with a smile.

"And what one was that?" she asked looking at her daughter.

"Free movie with purchase of any game," Kara replied looking at her mother, "What one did we get?"

"He gave us the one your game is base on," Artemis said before placing the bags in the back of her car, "I'll go ahead and take this stuff home so you two can finish your day together."

Kara quickly grabbed her mother's hand saying, "You're coming too."

"I wish I could, sweetie, but I still have some papers to grade and I need to get dinner started," Artemis replied looking at her.

"No. You don't," Wally said slipping an arm around his fiancé's waist, "I looked them over last night when I went to get something from the fridge and wrote what I noticed was wrong on a sticky note then stuck them on each paper."

"I'm double checking those when I get home," Artemis said with a sigh, "But this is supposed to be your time together."

"I know," Kara said looking up at her mother, "But we're a family, aren't we?"

"She's got you there," he said looking at her, "And how can you say no to her."

"Easily…because I'm her mother," Artemis said with a slight laugh, "But I will stay if you want me to."

"I do." Kara said nodding.

"And I've got dinner covered." he said before kissing his fiancé's cheek.

"…I can't wait." Artemis said.

"I know." Wally replied with a smile as the family headed to the car and put the bags in the trunk. With that settled, they got in the car and were discussing what to do next as they pulled out of the parking lot.


	43. Chapter Forty-Three: What Bart Knows

Chapter Forty-Three

What Bart Knows...

It wasn't that often that one of the other league members would step in and help with training the team; granted when it did happen, no one ever knew what they were in for. So when the Flash decided to help with training; everyone was surprised when they were given, as he put it, a simple task. The objective: catch Bart. Within ten minutes, everyone was starting to hate the training. It wasn't until Bart stated he would answer one question of whoever caught him that everyone seemed to try even harder.

Unfortunately, only one person wasn't allowed to try and catch the speedster. As Kara worked with her mother on her combat skills, she kept stealing glances from where the others were training.

"You're getting better at this, Kara." Artemis said as she watched her daughter's form.

"Thanks mom." Kara said before stealing another glance.

"You think you're ready for something new?" her mother asked with a slight smile.

"What's that?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

Artemis reached into the duffle bag she had brought with them and pulled out a long rope as she said, "I don't know if Diana has started you on this, but we're going to work on your rope skills for a while."

"She said she was waiting on your ok before I started learning about that." Kara said.

"In that case," Artemis said with a smile, "Let me show you what I used to do to your father when he got on my nerves too much." Before another question could be asked, Artemis quickly formed a lasso with the rope and tossed it towards the others.

Right as it was about to go around Bart, it suddenly shifted to so it landed on Gar. "Sorry Gar." she said as the rope tightened and pinned his arms to his sides.

The teen shifted into a snake only for a split second so the rope landed on the floor before saying, "Its fine. Just watch where you're throwing that."

"That was a nice shot though." Kara said smiling.

"Bart's faster then what I'm used to." Artemis said trying to follow the speedster.

"You mean you can track dad?" Kara asked.

"Not really," her mother said with a slight smirk, "I just like to make him think I can."

Kara looked back at the others and watched for a few seconds. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as if listening for something. "Now!" she whispered as her eyes snapped open. Her right hand grabbed her lasso and quickly threw it at the air in one spot before pulling hard. A loud oomph could be heard through the training area before the computer announced the speedsters fail.

"Good job, Kara." Barry said as all eyes looked at the young girl.

"Thanks, Uncle Barry." she said with a slight giggle.

"And you caught me fair and square," Bart said sitting up, "So, what do you want to know?"

"What do you know about me my parents don't?" she asked after a few seconds thought.

"You take over your mother's mantle when she retires completely in ten years," he said looking at her, "Plus you become a heartbreaker by the time you turn fourteen."

"Just how much of a heartbreaker do you mean, Bart?" Artemis asked looking at him.

He quickly took the lasso off his ankle before saying, "Catch me and I'll tell you."

He took off running as the others groaned slightly.

"What me to catch him again?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"Don't bother." Artemis said before sticking her foot out. Within seconds, Bart slammed into the ground and was quickly hogtied.

"Answer my question, Bart." she said smiling.

He sighed before saying, "Think redheaded version of you that is hotter than Wonder Woman."

"And you are never dating my daughter." Artemis said as she untied him.

"Got it." he said before zooming off.

"Hey mom," Kara said as she walked over to her mother, "Do you think he's still hiding something?"

"If he is, he won't say what it is," Artemis said looking at her daughter, "Let's get back to work, shall we?"

Kara gave a slight nod before they went back to training. As they got back to training, Artemis noticed that her daughter was more focused than she had been before.

They decided to call it quits for the day after another hour. Once they got their area of the room cleaned up, Kara flew off to use the little girl's room before heading home.

"I couldn't tell her." Bart said as he sat next to Artemis's bag.

"Tell her what?" she asked as she packed her bag.

"You didn't find her for another three years." he said looking at the floor. She placed the last item in her bag before looking at him surprised.

"In the timeline I'm from," he said calmly, "Gramps was killed by Neutron. From there, the League was slowly picked apart by the Reach and the Light. The team went into hiding after everyone's identities were revealed. Superman and the others that went to Rann….were found guilty and never returned, which wouldn't have made any difference; because by then the Reach had taken over completely and double crossed the Light. By the time you did find out about Kara, Savage is having her hooked up to that portal on her watch. You don't want to know the rest."

"When was all this supposed to have started?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

He looked up at her and smiled as he said, "It would've started three days ago. But the time line has changed so much, I have no clue what is going to happen now."

"Which is how it's supposed to be." she said as Kara flew up to them.

"You ready, mom?" the young girl asked.

"Just about," Artemis said looking at her daughter. She picked the young girl up and held her tight as she whispered, "I love you so much, Kara."

Kara smiled as she returned the hug and said, "I love you too, mom."

"Good, now let's go get something to eat." Artemis said grabbing her bag.

After they said their goodbyes, the two took the Zeta tubes back to Palo Alto. Artemis seemed to be up to something, for they swung by the local grocery store on the way home.

As they went through the aisles, Kara noticed that hardly anyone was around. "Uh mom, is this place always this quiet?" she asked after the third aisle.

"I am really getting sick and tired of this." Artemis said with a sigh as she realized her daughter was right.

They looked down one of the aisles to see a masked man with a shotgun briefly before disappearing in a blue streak.

"I think dad's here." Kara whispered looking up at her mother.

"I thought you were told not to use your speed." Artemis said closing her eyes as her fiancé suddenly appeared next to her.

"Uncle Barry said try not to." Wally said before kissing her cheek, "You have fun training today?"

Kara nodded before saying, "Yup. I got to see mom hogtie Bart."

"I would have loved to have seen that." he said smiling. After they finished shopping, they made their way home.

For the rest of the night, Artemis couldn't shake what Bart had told her. The shear thought of that timeline seemed to scare her.

'I am never losing any of my family.' she thought as she watched Wally help their daughter with her homework.

But her nervousness didn't go unnoticed; for right before Kara went to bed, she climbed up in her mother's lap and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just thinking about how much you're changed my life," Artemis lied before giving her daughter a brief hug, "Now get to bed. We've got school in the morning."

"Ok, night mom. Night dad," Kara said before giving each of them a hug.

"Night, kiddo, we'll be up to tuck you in after bit." Wally said as watched her head to her room before looking at Artemis.

Keeping his voice low, he gently pulled his fiancé into his arms and asked, "What all happened at training today?"

She was silent for a few moments before saying just as quiet, "Bart told me what all he knew about Kara." She tried not to cry as she relayed what she had been told.

Once she had finished, she felt Wally's arms tighten around her as he said, "That never happened, babe. You found her way before then so she's fine, not to mention Bart's coming back helped us win the war."

"I'm so scared we're going to lose her, Wally," she said crying into his shoulder, "We can't lose her."

"You're never going to lose me." Kara said as she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. Wally reached over and gently pulled her into the hug. He held the two of them close as he prayed nothing would ever happen to his family.


	44. Chapter Forty-Four: Bringing the Thunder

Chapter Forty-Four

Bringing the Thunder...

Gym was Kara's least favorite subject out of all the students in Artemis's class. The only times they seemed to enjoy it was when the current teacher wasn't there. It wasn't until having a talk with Kara one night that she decided to sit in and watch. As she stood in the back of the gym it didn't take long before she saw things that ticked her off. The teacher would only let half the students participate, and even then he made it boys against girls constantly and would yell at the others for talking.

'This is ridiculous.' she thought as a dodgeball rolled up to a stop next to her.

She had no more than reached down and picked it up when she heard the gym teacher yell, "Put that ball down right now, skirt!" She looked over to see the man glaring at her before he said, "Yeah, I'm talking to you skirt! Put that ball down now!"

'Did he just call me skirt?' she thought as she stood up with the ball in hand.

"ARE YOU TOTALLY STUPID, SKIRT?" the man bellowed, "I SAID PUT THAT BALL DOWN NOW!"

"Don't call my mom stupid." Kara said standing up from where almost all the girls were sitting.

"Another word out of you, West, and I'll have you suspended," he said looking at Kara briefly before looking back at her mother, "Put the ball down now. Unless you think you can throw here."

Artemis smirked before tossing the ball in the air and caught it as she asked, "Do you mean this ball?"

Yes," he said getting upset, "Either put it down skirt, or try and throw it here."

"Hey Kara. Catch." she said tossing the ball high into the air before hitting it with a spinning roundhouse kick.

The ball shot past the teacher's left ear and banked off two walls before being caught by the young girl.

"Call me skirt again, and the next shot will take you head clean off." Artemis said leaning back against the wall. The gym teacher slowly shifted his gaze from Artemis to her daughter.

"That's what happens when you make her mad." the young girl said before sitting back down with the ball in her lap.

"Even I'm not crazy enough to make your mother mad, Ms. West." the school superintendent, Mr. Bagans, said from where he sat next to the young girl, "Michael, go home; you're done here."

The teacher slowly nodded before leaving the room.

"Now that you've sent the teacher home, who's in charge?" Artemis asked crossing her arms.

"Their new teacher will not be here until tomorrow," he said standing up, "Until then, you have a special sub."

"I think he means me." a familiar voice said next to her.

Artemis looked to her right and tried not to laugh as she asked, "You're kidding me, right? You're going to teach an elementary gym class?"

"Actually, we're going to do an extended science lab." Wally said with a smile.

"No. You're not." she said crossing her arms.

"I take it they know each other," Mr. Bagans whispered as he leaned towards Kara.

"He's my dad," she said with a hint of pride in her voice, "and mommy's fiancé."

"Please make sure they don't kill each other." he said before quietly leaving the room.

"Why are you so dead set against me doing this?" Wally asked.

"I am not dead set against you," Artemis replied poking him in the chest, "I don't want to get fired for having to kill you because you blew up the school.

"I am not going to blow up the school." he said pushing her hand away.

"You blew up your parent's garage when you were thirteen." she said looking at him.

"And I am not using anything explosive for this." he said defensively.

"Oh really, what are you going to do then?" she asked.

"Homemade bottle rockets for starters," he said smiling, "I seem to remember someone starting a bottle rocket war."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." she said smiling.

"Right." he said as one of the students walked over.

"Excuse me, are you really Kara's dad?" the student asked.

"That he is, Andy." Artemis said before looking at the rest of her students, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet your substitute gym teacher and Kara's father; Wally West."

"Hope you guys don't mind, but we're going to turn this into a giant science lab." he said looking at the students. Once he was set up, Wally spent the rest of the hour showing the students different things.

Something that got the biggest reaction from the students was when the bell rang for lunch after the last of the bottle rockets went off.

"Enjoy your lunch everyone." Artemis said as her class left the room.

"That went well." he said before he started to clean things up.

"And you didn't blow the school up." she said walking over to him.

"I save that for my regular job," he said turning to face her, "There is something we do need to talk about though."

"If it's a about picking a day for the wedding, it doesn't matter to me." she said.

"No, I was wondering what you have planned for spring break." he said as he lightly placed his hands on her waist.

"I plan on spending it with my family," she said as his stomach growled, "And we can finish this talk over lunch."

"Yes, I brought my own," he said before they heard screaming coming from outside the room. They ran out of the room and saw a bunch of the students running from the cafeteria before hearing what sounded like gunshots.

"Sounds like someone's playing our song." he said before a masked man went flying past him and into a wall.

"More like Power Girl's song." she said.

"Help the kids." he said before speeding off.

Wasting no time, he quickly changed his clothes into a metallic blue and black version of his old Kid Flash gear. By the time he had reached the cafeteria, he couldn't help but smile as he watched his daughter drop two assailants before rushing forward and dismantling their guns.

He quickly tied the men up and stopped next to her saying, "Nice job taking them on."

"Thanks," she said a little leery, "Who are you?"

"You can call Mach, kiddo." he said looking at her.

Kara's eyes widen for a brief second before she smiled saying, "Nice to meet you, Mach. I'm Power Girl. Could you grab the guy that is trying to escape behind you?"

Using his speed, he quickly ran over and grabbed the person and returned saying, "Not a problem."

"Thank you." she said before tying his hands together with her lasso.

"Does that work like Wonder Woman's?" he asked watching her.

"What do you mean?" she said looking at him.

"Wonder Woman's lasso will make anyone bound by it tell the truth," he explained before sitting the masked man in a chair and tying him up, "Like if I was to ask him what his name was, he wouldn't be able to tell me any other name except his." Kara looked at the bound man and asked, "Why did you come here?"

"We were hired to retrieve a pocket watch from Kara Owens." the man said looking at her.

"Who hired you?" Wally said watching his daughter out of the corner of his eye.

"Lex Luthor," the man said shifting his gaze, "He said that what the watch hides can bring down the Justice League."

Kara reached into her pocket and pulled the watch out asking, "Is this the watch you're after?"

"Yes," the man said surprised as he looked at it, "How did you…?"

"It doesn't concern you." she said drawing her sword and held the end next to the watch before hitting the switch.

A beam of blue energy went through the watch destroying it as she said, "Tell your boss that this watch, like Kara Owens, doesn't exist."

The beam disappeared as the police arrived.

"Time to go." Wally said before picking his daughter up and running out of the school. He dropped her off at the back of where her class was after she hid her gear and went to change. After a few seconds, he came running up calling out Artemis's name.

"Are you ok?" he asked reaching her.

"I'm fine, Wally," she said giving him a hug, "We're all fine thanks to Power Girl. Where did you go?"

"I ran to the cafeteria to make sure everyone had gotten out and actually saw Power Girl in action." he said giving his daughter a quick glance.

"You saw Power Girl?" one of the students asked excitedly.

"Yeah I did." he said smiling before he told the students about what had happened.

"She sounds so cool." one of the girls said.

"I wish you could've gotten a pic of her." another one said.

"Same here." he said as the principal came walking up.

"Is everyone here and ok?" Mr. Blackthorn asked sounding a little worried.

"We're ok." Artemis replied looking at him.

"Good," he said relaxing a little, "The superintendent has canceled school for the rest of the day because of this. The buses will be here soon to take the students home."

"That's the best idea I've heard so far." she said.

He looked at Wally and said, "Sorry your visit went a little haywire, Mr. West."

"I'm just glad my family's ok." Wally said before looking at his daughter and fiancé.

Once the last of the students had left, Wally picked Kara up and held her close as he whispered, "I am so proud of you."

"We both are." Artemis said in the same low tone as she hugged them both.

"Thank you." Kara said turning pink.

"Seriously, Artemis, I wish I could have recorded her in action," he said as they started walking to her car, "She was just incredible."

"Oh I bet." she said as her phone beeped.

"Who's that?" Kara asked as she watched her mother check her phone.

"It's a message from Barbara," Artemis said smiling, "She recorded the fight and is sending it to my laptop at home."

"She is?" Kara asked. Artemis nodded as she put her phone away saying, "Plus she erased the footage from right before those guys showed up to make it look like they cut the security camera's."

"Couldn't she erase my fight as well?" Kara asked as Wally checked his phone.

"She could and I think she got hacked," Wally said smiling a little, "Uncle Barry says he just received the footage."

"I am in so much trouble." Kara whispered as her mother's cell went off again.

Wally looked at the young girl and asked, "You hacked Barbara?"

Kara flinched before saying, "She was showing me the basic steps of how to do it when I stayed at her place last time and was practicing them last night."

"And she hacked Barbara's system by accident so any message sent to one team or league member…goes to them all." Artemis said reading the message she had received.

"I'm sorry." Kara said looking down.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," her mother said with a slight laugh, "You did something that not even Batman can do: hack Barbara's system. If anything, that alone is impressive. All it means is that she is going to have to up the security on her computers."

"I want to go home." Kara remarked.

"I think we all need some home time; and let's be lucky that it's Friday." Artemis stated as she grabbed Kara's hand.

"I wish Luthor would learn that my last name is NOT Owens, I'm a WEST and proud of it."

"Well, Luthor has always been consistent when it comes to his plans, but we'll stop him from getting you once and for all."

"Let's just get home and forget about Luthor." Wally said. "Besides, I want tell you more about how proud I am of you."

With that, he grabbed his daughter's free hand, and the family headed out.


	45. Chapter Forty-Five: Setting a Date

Chapter Forty-Five

Setting a Date...

Spring break normally gave students the chance to relax from school for a week. But in the cause of Palo Alto Elementary, they gained an additional two days because of the masked assailants. This gave the small family some well-deserved time together. Each day Kara got to spend with her parents was better than the day before, as far as she was concerned. It was on the fourth day home when something unexpected happened.

She was sitting in the living room when her father sat beside her and marked her page then closed her book saying, "I need your help with something."

She looked up at her father asking, "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing," he said smiling, "I just need your help picking out my tux."

"Why me?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer but stopped as something bounced off the side of his head.

"You're it." Artemis said as she sat on the couch with a smirk.

Kara looked down to see a ball sitting on the floor as Wally said, "Oh no. I am not calling him."

"Calling who?" she asked looking at her parents.

"Batman," Artemis said glancing at her daughter, "He wants to know how you got the watch off the Watchtower."

"Is that all?" Kara asked before hearing a knock on the front door.

"I'm still not calling him." Wally said loudly, picking the ball up and placing it in his fiancé's lap.

"You may not have too." they heard a voice say. The couple looked over at the front door to see Kaldur enter.

"Hey Kal, what's bring you to our humble abode?" Wally asked a little surprised to see his old friend.

"I was asked to find out how Kara got the watch off the Watchtower." the Atlantian said walking over.

"No offense, but we've been wondering that to," Artemis said looking at her daughter, "How did you get that off the Watchtower?"

"I didn't," the young girl said looking at her parents, "Robin gave me a copy of it that had something built in that could find me if you needed to."

The adults looked at each other briefly before Kaldur asked, "If that is true, then where is the real watch?"

"It's in Mr. Palmer's desk on the tower." Kara said before sitting back down.

"Leave it to our kid." Wally said with a slight laugh.

"I will let the League know about that," Kaldur said turning his attention to the speedster and former archer, "I was also asked if you two had set a date for your wedding."

"We're still trying to figure that one out," Artemis said a little sheepishly.

"I still don't see why you don't elope like Grandma Paula and Grandpa Gio did." Kara said looked at her folks.

"Because there are quite a few people that want to see you and your mother in a dress," Wally said taking his fiancé's hand in his, "Especially since you two both refuse to wear skirts."

"I remember my first day at Gotham Academy…" Artemis muttered with a slight shutter.

"You could have your wedding on June 20th," Kaldur interjected before sitting in a chair.

"Then why June 20th?" Kara asked.

"Because that was the day we thought we lost your father for good," Artemis said leaning her head on the speedsters shoulder, "I think that would be a good idea."

"Replace a bad memory with a new one? I like it!" Wally said as Kara's wristwatch started beeping.

The young girl brought a holo-screen up and said, "Hello?"

"Hey Kara, its Zee. Is your mom there?" the magician said as her face appeared.

"Her and dad are talking to Kaldur at the moment about the wedding date." the young girl replied.

"What do you need, Zee?" Artemis asked looking over at her daughter.

"I need your help with something." Zatanna replied.

"And that something is?" Wally asked.

"Girl problems." the magician said.

"And with that, I'm going to go see about a tux," the speedster said before giving Artemis a kiss, "Kaldur and I will be back later."

"Don't blow anything up and see you later," Artemis said as she watched her fiancé leave before looking back at the holo-screen, "Now what do you need help with?"

"Besides you having a dress fitting in an hour," Zatanna said indicating the time, "I have a date with that guy I was telling you about a few weeks back."

"Congrats and I will see you at the dress shop." Artemis said getting up.

"Bye Aunt Zee," Kara said ending the call, "Do I have to go?"

"Yes, you do," her mother said grabbing her boots, "Get your shoes on and maybe we'll stop for ice cream on the way home."

The young girl quickly got up and pulled her shoes on saying, "Sweet."

After locking the door, they took the nearby Zeta tube to Star City and soon arrived at the dress shop. As they entered, Kara smiled as she saw everyone waiting for them.

"About time you get here, Alice," Jade said looking at the two.

"Hi Aunt Jade," Kara said before going over and giving her aunt a hug.

"Hey Mouse," Jade said returning the hug. "I wouldn't call her that, Jade," M'gann said looking at her.

"According to my daughter, the only ones allowed to call her that are family." Artemis said looking at the Martian.

"Last person that wasn't family that called her that got thrown down a hallway." Barbara said with a slight laugh.

"Sounds like something Dick would do," M'gann said as they went to one of the private rooms.

"Bingo, and Dick was still hanging around her after that," Barbara said smiling.

"Wow, leave it to him to tick off the girl that pranked him good, then still hang out around her." Dinah stated.

"So did you two ever figure out a date?" Jade asked looking at her sister.

"June 20th." Artemis replied.

"Good choice on the day," Zatanna said as she entered the room wearing a bridesmaid dress, "But are you going to do it this year or next year?"

"This year, and you look great, Zee." Artemis replied looking at her friend.

"Thanks, if you like this, wait till you see your dress." the magician said with a smile.

Over the next few hours, each member of the former archer's bridal party tried on their dresses. Something that surprised everyone was the seamstress had to make very little alterations to each one. By the time it came to Kara's turn, she seemed really nervous.

"Do I have to do this?" she asked quietly looking at her mother.

"It's just to make sure the dress fits," Artemis said kneeling next to her daughter, "And to see if there is any other alterations that need to be made."

"Kara, why don't you like dresses and skirts?" Zatanna asked.

"I can't do cartwheels in them." the young girl said looking at her friend.

"She has a point." Barbara said with a slight smile.

"I know but you only have to wear this for the wedding after this, ok?" Artemis said.

"Are you sure, mom?" Kara asked.

Artemis nodded before handing the dress to her daughter saying, "I'm sure, sweetie." The young girl slowly took the dress before stepping into the changing room.

After a few minutes, Kara cracked the door open slightly and said, "Nobody laugh, ok?"

"We're not going to laugh, Kara." Artemis said reassuring her daughter.

"You better not." the young girl said before stepping into the room.

"Ohhhh! You look so adorable!" M'gann said looking at her friend.

Kara turned bright red before ducking back into the changing room saying, "I'm not wearing this!"

Artemis sighed as the door was pulled shut then said, "Fantastic." She walked over to the door and knocked on it before asking, "Kara, can I come in?"

The room was silent for a few seconds before the door opened slightly as the young girl said, "Just you."

Artemis slipped inside the room and closed the door behind her. "Are you ok, sweetie?" she asked looking at her daughter.

"I'm not adorable." Kara said looking at her mother.

"You may not think so, but M'gann does." Artemis said walking over and giving the young girl a hug, "But I think you look beautiful." Kara slowly closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her mother.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Artemis asked, "Mind if I ask why you freaked out like that?"

"The last person that told me I was adorable tried to make me do something I didn't want to do." Kara replied burying her head into her mother's shoulder.

Artemis leaned back and looked at her daughter asking, "When did this happen?"

"Back when I lived with Lawrence," Kara said trying to hold back tears, "A man named Simon stopped by one day and said that to me. Next thing I know, I couldn't control my body. That was when everyone learned about my electrical ability."

"And he will never hurt you again," Artemis said holding her daughter close, "No one will ever hurt you as long as your father and I are alive."

"I believe you." Kara said laying her head back on her mother's shoulder.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before they heard M'gann mentally ask, "Is everything ok?"

"We're ok," Artemis replied smiling a little, "I'll explain later; just don't call Kara adorable from here on. Ok?"

"Not a problem." the Martian replied.

"You want to try this again?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

"I guess." Kara replied.

"They won't call you adorable," her mother said before kissing the girl's forehead, "We good?"

Kara nodded as she smiled saying, "We're good."

With that the mother and daughter headed out of the room and everyone smiled as Kara did look beautiful in her junior bridesmaid's dress so everyone went ahead with their discussion while Kara tried to get use to the dress.


	46. Chapter Forty-Six: The New Teacher

Chapter Forty-Six

The New Teacher...

Artemis looked up from her desk as her class returned from gym.

"How was gym?" she asked with a smile.

"It sucked." the one student said as they all took their seats.

"What happened?" she asked getting up.

"The new teacher had us play baseball," a student answered looking at her, "Everything was fine…until Kara got hit with a line drive from Travis."

"She got hit with a what?" she asked.

"I accidently hit Kara in the eye with a line drive to second base," Travis said sinking in his chair a little, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Where's Kara now?" she asked.

"Right here," Kara said as she entered the room holding an ice pack on her eye, "I do not like the gym teacher right now."

"It was also an accident," Artemis said before she heard a knock on the door, "Come in." All eyes looked over to see a dark haired man enter.

"You're the new gym teacher, Conner?" she asked surprised.

"Substitute for today; and in all fairness, I didn't know that was going to happen." he said with a weak smile.

"In the future, please do not try and harm my students or daughter." she said crossing her arms.

"Got it, and sorry about that Kara." he said.

"It's okay. Stuff happens." the young girl said before he left the room.

Artemis looked at the clock before shifting her gaze towards her class and smiled a little before saying, "I think because of what happened, I'm going to let you turn your homework in on Wednesday instead of tomorrow."

The class let out a small cheer right as the final bell rang for the day.

"Stay safe heading home and I'll see you all tomorrow," she said as they got their stuff around. Once it was just her and Kara, Artemis walked over and knelt next to her saying, "Let me see your eye."

The young girl slowly lowered the ice pack to reveal a purplish bruise forming as she said, "I pushed Jenny out of the way and took the hit for her."

"Is Jenny ok?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter's eye.

Kara nodded before saying, "She said she was going to tell her mother on me for pushing her…. But she wouldn't listen to anyone about the baseball that was heading toward her."

"And I will deal with her mother," Artemis said before kissing her daughters forehead, "Now how about we get some ice cream for on the way home?"

"Can we get blueberry?" Kara asked placing the ice pack back on her eye.

"I don't see why not," Artemis said smiling as Conner entered the room, "How was your first day, Con?"

"Great….until Kara got hurt," the clone said sitting in a chair.

"At least you weren't pitching and the ball hit me," Kara said looking over at him.

"She has you there Conner," Artemis said as a woman walked in, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Ms. Crock." the woman said walking over.

"You must be Jenny's mother," Artemis said standing up, "I'm Ms. Crock."

"Amelia," the woman said with a slight nod, "I was wondering if you know why Kara pushed my daughter in gym today."

"Because she would have been hit by a line drive, but Kara took the hit instead." Artemis replied simply.

"Is your daughter ok?" Amelia asked.

"The nurse said I don't have a concussion," Kara said looking at the woman, "But I will have a black eye for a while."

"No offense, Kara, but you should've let the ball hit her," Amelia said looking at the young girl, "Because she wants me to sue you and the school about what happened."

"And she would've demanded that you sue them anyway for her getting hurt." Conner said.

"He does have a point," Artemis said as she started to smile, "And I think I know a way to shut your kid up about this."

"Do tell…" Amelia said looking at the teacher.

"I have a friend that is a lawyer," Artemis started to explain as she smiled, "What if I have her come in and have her preside over a mock trial? We show her the security footage, have the students that saw what happened tell their side of the story, and let my friend render a verdict and punishment."

"That might actually work," Amelia said smiling, "If anything it will shut my kid up."

"I'll contact my friend and see if she would be willing to do this," Artemis said.

"Considering what all Jenny called Kara after what happened, I think I know a good punishment." Conner said standing up.

Amelia looked at him for a few seconds before asking, "And you are?"

"The substitute gym teacher," he said walking over, "Your daughter cussed Kara out in French after Kara took the hit."

"If Conner heard it, then the school security system should have picked it up." Artemis said as her smile faded.

"Let me know if it did," Amelia said looking at the teacher, "I'm going to want to be here for that."

"That won't be a problem." Artemis said before Amelia left the room.

"You ready, mom?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

"I will be in a few." the former archer said walking over to her desk.

"I'll call the League and tell them you won't be in and why." Conner said before leaving the room.

"I hope he doesn't get yelled at for this." Kara said looking towards the door.

"He won't," Artemis said grabbing her bag, "Now let's go home."

They made their way out of the school and towards the parking lot. "Hey mom, do you feel like where being followed?" Kara asked as they walked towards the car.

"That's because we are." her mother replied with a sigh. They stopped walking and turned around to see two men in business suits and sunglasses standing a few feet away.

"One of you two are about to say something that includes the words Department of Justice, Lawrence Crock, and break out. Am I right?" Artemis asked.

"I take it you've dealt with this before." the one said as they took out their badges and showed them to her indicating she was right.

"Too many times," she crossing her arms, "I also have a standing agreement with my father. So long as he never comes near me or my family, I won't break his neck. But you're going to say this is just a precaution and my daughter and I need to go with you. Right?"

"You're two for two so far, miss?" the man said as they put their badges away.

"And we don't need or want your help," she said calmly, "My father won't try and contact me because I want nothing to do with him, or what he calls the family business. Got it….dad?"

"You always were a sharp one, baby girl," Lawrence said as he removed his shades, "but you're not the one I'm here for."

"Tell you what, dad," Artemis said as she leaned back against her car, "I'll give you five minutes. If you can convince her to go with you without resorting to any kind of threats, I won't stop you, and you don't want to know what is going to happen if you can't."

"Sir, this feels like a trap." the other man said as never taking his eyes off the blonde.

"Shoot her if she moves." Lawrence said looking at the man. He shifted his gaze towards Kara and blinked as he saw the girl floating in midair a few inches from his face.

"Welcome to round two." she said before backhanding him into a nearby car.

"Saw that coming." Artemis said as she watched her daughter lay into Lawrence.

"How is she…?" the man asked watching the girl as she unloaded punch after punch into his boss.

He looked back towards the blonde only to see a teen with black hair a second before being knocked out.

"Lights out ugly," Conner said before Lawrence was slammed into the roof of the car he was standing next to.

"And…time." Artemis said smiling. She pushed off from the car and held her arms open as her daughter flew to her.

"Feel better?" Artemis asked giving her daughter a hug.

"Mm-hmm," Kara said burying her face in her mother's shoulder as she returned the hug, "I want to go home."

"We will in a few." Artemis said as a few police cars pulled into the lot.

After giving their statements to the police, Artemis walked over to where paramedics were loading her father into the back of an EMS.

"Can I tell him something real quick?" she asked the one.

"Make it fast." the one paramedic said.

She leaned down and whispered in her father's ear, "Like it or not, Lawrence, this will be the last time you ever get this close to your biological granddaughter again. For I am going to make certain that precious 'rep' you care so much about is destroyed. Come near me or my family again, and I will be sure I record round three."

She walked back over to where Kara and Conner were and hugged her daughter tight as she said; "Now we go home."

With that over with, Conner said his goodbyes to Artemis and Kara before the two girls got in the car and headed home.


	47. Chapter Forty-Seven: Ice Cream

Chapter Forty-Seven

Ice Cream...

"Do you think dad is going to be happy about what happened today?" Kara asked as she watched her mother fix dinner.

"I think the only thing he won't be happy about is either you getting hurt, or my father showing up," Artemis said looking at her daughter briefly, "But he will be happy that Conner was there.

"I know I'm happy he was." Kara said before hearing the front door open.

The two looked over to see the speedster in question enter the room as he said, "I'm home."

"Hi dad." Kara said before placing the ice pack back on her eye.

He walked over and kissed his daughter's head lightly before saying, "Conner called and told me what all happened."

"You're not mad…are you?" she asked a little worried.

"Only that I didn't get to hit Lawrence," he said sitting next to his daughter, "and Conner also told me about your black eye."

"It still hurts." she said lowering the ice pack so he could see.

'No offense kiddo, but I'm starting to wish you had my accelerated healing." he said with a sad smile.

"That makes three of us, Wally," Artemis said looking over at him, "Could one of you two set the table, please?"

"I got it." Wally said before using his speed to set the table in less than a second.

"Add two places, Wally," she said before turning back to the stove, "We have company coming tonight."

"We do?" Kara asked a little surprised.

"Mom and Giovanni." Artemis replied as they heard the doorbell.

"I got it." he said and he soon placed two more plates on the table before going to answer the door.

"This is not going to be fun." Kara said quietly placing the pack back on her eye.

"Everything will be fine," Artemis said before looking over towards the front door, "Hey mom, Giovanni."

"Hello Artemis," Paula said as she wheeled herself into the kitchen, "Hello Kara how was your day?"

"I've had better." Kara said looking at her grandmother.

"What happened to your eye?" Paula asked upon seeing her granddaughter's eye.

"I got hit by a baseball." Kara said.

"She pushed one of the students that was about to get hit out of a line drive." Artemis said as her daughter's watch beeped.

Kara sat the ice pack on the table and brought a holo-screen and whispered, "Uh-oh."

"What do you mean 'uh-oh'?" Artemis asked looking at her daughter.

"My fight with your dad got recorded." Kara said looking at her mother.

"You did what?" Paula and Giovanni asked surprised.

"G-got into a fight with Lawrence." Kara said looking at her grandparents.

"I so want to see that fight." Wally said suddenly standing next to his daughter.

"Don't make me hurt you." Artemis said looking at her fiancé.

"And we can watch it after dinner," Giovanni said placing a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder, "Right now, I'm just happy that Kara is ok."

"Please tell me that man is in custody." Paula said looking at her daughter.

"I kind of sent him to the hospital…..again." Kara said a little sheepishly.

"You might as well show the video, sweetie," Artemis said with a sigh, "Because I think the oven just died."

"I'll go check the breaker," Wally said before zipping from the room. He returned a few seconds later and asked, "Did you know we have a fuse box?"

"We do?" Artemis asked surprised.

"Yeah," he said placing a blown fuse on the table, "I'm going to have to see about replacing the entire thing with a breaker box."

"Figures…" she said taking a cake pan from the oven and placing it in the fridge.

"Does this mean the ice cream it going to melt?" Kara asked looking at her mother.

Wally looked at his daughter for a brief second before running from the house.

"Was it something I said?" she asked looking towards the front door.

"Yeah, ice cream," Artemis said with a slight laugh, "Knowing him, he's running to the hardware store to get a new breaker box right now."

"So what do we do till dad gets back?" Kara asked. "Anyone have a deck of cards?" Artemis asked smiling.

"We are not playing poker," Paula said looking at her daughter, "At least not until Wally gets back."

"Speaking of which," Artemis said before a vase with a single rose in it appeared suddenly as something zipped through the kitchen, "He's back."

Wally reappeared sitting next to his daughter munching on a protein bar as he said, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much, Wall-man," Artemis said looking at him, "Did you get it switched over?"

"Just stopping long enough to eat one of these before I do." he said before taking another bite.

"Allow me." Giovanni said before heading to the basement with the breaker box in hand.

"Can I go watch?" Kara asked.

"Take your flashlight with you and stay out of your grandfather's way." Artemis replied.

"Thank you." the young girl said. She flew over to her jacket long enough to grab said item before heading to the basement.

"I thought you might come to watch." Giovanni said upon seeing his granddaughter land a few feet away.

"I like watching you and Aunt Zee use magic," she said smiling before holding up her flashlight, "That and I thought you might need this."

"Thank you, but this won't take long," he said before looking at the fuse box. He raised his hands and clearly said, "Egnahcxe Esuf Xob Rof Srekaerb Xob." The items started to glow softly as the boxes began to switch themselves out.

"Wow." Kara said softly as she watched her grandfather work. After a few moments, the last of the fuses landed gently in the bag as he finished.

"That was so cool." she said smiling.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that," he said looking at her, "Now go let your mother know we're done."

She gave a slight nod before flying back upstairs.

"Grandpa's done." she said entering the kitchen.

"That's good," Artemis said getting up and turning the stove on, "Dinner will be done in an hour, unless a certain someone wants to make a food run."

"Ah no," Wally said lifting their daughter up onto his lap, "I'm not going anywhere for the rest of the night."

"Not even to bed?" Kara asked looking at him.

"I mean out of the house." he said as Giovanni walked in.

"Where do you want this, Artemis?" the magician said holding up a bag containing the old fuse box.

"I'll take care of it Zatara." Wally said setting Kara in her chair.

"I guess we can watch the video of Kara's 'conversation' with Lawrence while we wait on dinner." Artemis said sitting down.

"Good idea." the speedster said before running the bags to the trash bin.

"Do we have too?" Kara asked a little shyly.

"I would like to see what happened; goodness knows that man has infuriated me enough in my life." Paula said.

Kara slowly looked at each person in the room before quietly saying, "Ok." She brought the screen up and played the video.

While she thought it was going to go straight into the altercation, the video showed what happened with the baseball game.

"Is it just me, or does it look like that kid pulled Kara in front of her?" Wally asked.

"That's because she did," Artemis said sounding upset, "Going to have to talk to her about this."

"Shhh." Paula said as the parking lot incident started playing.

"Oh, that's got to hurt." Wally grimaced as he watched the footage.

Once it was finally over, Paula patted her granddaughter on her head and said, "You should've hit him harder."

"I broke his jaw last time I saw him." Kara said smiling lightly.

"You never did tell me about what happened that day, Artemis." Paula said looking at her daughter.

"What day?" Wally asked.

"Can I explain over dinner?" Artemis asked as the timer on the oven went off.

"Dinner always goes better with a story." Kara said as her smile widened a little.

"Even if that story is about something you did, Kara?" Giovanni asked looking at the young girl.

"No, because those are boring." she said as her mother removed the cake pan from the oven.

"But it's such a good story, which was the first time you really made me proud that you were my daughter." Artemis said looking at her daughter.

"No. It isn't and that was nothing, I just did it to save everyone in there." Kara said quietly.

"You don't like hearing about things you've done, do you?" Artemis asked as she put the cake pan on the table.

"Not really," her daughter replied looking at the table, "I really don't care for fighting, and that is all the stories about me are about."

"What about the one where you brought me home?" Wally asked little nudging his daughter's shoulder, "That one has nothing to do with fighting and besides all the fighting was to protect yourself or others."

"There are a lot of things you do at school that has nothing to do with fighting or hero work," Giovanni stated.

"But I'm not that important, and being the daughter of heroes….I feel like I HAVE to help save lives." she said turning pink.

"You are to the ones that love you, and it's not just that you're our daughter, but it's your pure heart that makes you want to save others." Artemis said looking at her daughter with love in her eyes, "The four of us love you dearly, as do others, my little guardian angel."

With that said, they all headed into the dining room to eat a late dinner.


	48. Chapter 48: The Day Has Finally Come

Chapter Forty-Eight

The Day Has Finally Come...

Artemis wasn't completely sure why but something felt off. She couldn't say exactly what, but something didn't feel quite right. Regardless as to what she felt, she couldn't be more excited for the day had finally arrived. So far everything was perfect; the guest had arrived on time, the dresses looked incredible, and her father was in jail where he belonged. Yet something didn't feel right. She didn't have long to dwell on it for it was time.

"Are you ready, sweetie?" Artemis asked looking down at her daughter.

The young girl nodded as she said, "Yup."

"Then let's do this," Artemis said with a nod. As her daughter stepped into the many hall of the church, she couldn't help but smile as she heard the audience's reaction.

"Nervous?" Giovanni asked as he walked up to her.

"No." she said as her smiled widened. It wasn't long before it was she heard the wedding march.

"They're playing your song." he said offering his arm to her. She placed a hand on his arm before they started entered the room.

As they walked towards the alter, she started to hear a faint beeping sound. She dismissed it at first, but it steadily grew stronger the closer she got.

'Focus, Artemis,' she thought to herself as her vision blurred slightly, 'You can do this.' She tried to ignore the beeping the best she could as she reached her destination.

She gave a slight curtsy to Giovanni before standing next to her true love.

"I love you," Wally said as he slowly lifted her veil, "Now and forever, my spitfire."

As the end of the veil cleared her eyes, a bright light filled the room briefly. She closed her eyes tight for a few second before slowly opening them as she heard someone talking.

"Mom?" she called out sounding horse.

"Artemis," she heard her mother say, "Thank god you woke up."

"Where am I?" the blonde ask, her voice slowly gaining strength.

"You're at Gotham General hospital," Paula said taking her daughter's hand in hers, "An officer said you were struck by a car trying to save a little girl."

"That explains the beeping and the headache," Artemis said trying to lift her arm, "How long was I out?"

Paula was silent for a few seconds before saying, "You've been in a coma for three months."

"I'm surprised Wally didn't have M'gann try and enter my head," Artemis said with a slight smile, "Speaking of which, where is he?"

Paula gave her a slightly puzzled look before asking, "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Artemis asked looking at her mother out of the corner of her eye.

"Wally died almost four months ago." A tear slowly slid down the former archer's cheek as she realized that had recently happened: his return, the wedding, all of it, was nothing more than a dream. But worst of all; Kara didn't exist.

She barely listened as the doctor informed her she was lucky to be alive considering what had happened and what injuries she had received; which included a broken arm, concussion, and sprained knee. She didn't care. All she wished was to return to her dream; to the world where her family existed, to where she was happy. But she knew better than anyone that that world was gone.

The following days seemed like a whirlwind as her friends and the league stopped in to see her. But with each person that stopped in, she always made sure to hide the sadness that had filled her heart. Even with the physical therapy that started almost a week later, she always ended up silently crying herself to sleep. Not just because of the loss of the man she loved, but the child she dreamed of having with him.

It was Christmas time when she was finally released from the hospital. As she left the building, the first thing she saw was her dog Brucely standing next to her friend Dick.

"Come here, boy," Artemis said smiling. The dog ran up to his owner and nuzzled her hand.

"He looks really happy to see you, Artemis," Dick said as he walked over.

"I'm happy to see him too," she said giving the dog a hug.

"You ready to go home?" he asked.

"I would say so if you had to stay in the hospital as long as she's had to." a voice said from behind her.

"Hey M'gann," Artemis said acknowledging her friend, "And yeah, I'm ready to go home."

They got into the waiting car and started to head towards the nearest Zeta tube.

After about five minutes of silence, M'gann looked at the blonde and asked mentally, "Artemis, are you sure you're ok?"

"It's easier to show you," Artemis replied as she looked at her friend with a sad smile. Images soon filled the Martian's head from the archers dream. It wasn't until the last image of Kara and her in their dresses before M'gann broke the contact.

"Oh god, Artemis," M'gann thought as she tried to hold back tears.

"There's nothing to say," Artemis thought as she looked out the window, "Except I want to go back."

"I can understand why." M'gann replied.

"I hope you don't mind, but Bruce took care of your medical bills and took care of your rent for the next couple of years," Dick said breaking the silence.

"Tell him I said thanks and I'll pay him back." Artemis said scratching her dog's head.

"Actually, it was his way of saying thank you for saving his life," he said as they pulled up to the Zeta tube.

"His life?"

"That little girl you saved is related to Lucius Fox, Bruce's closest friend and right hand man. Lucius was grateful that his little niece was going to be alright and after finding out that it was an ex hero that saved her, he asked Bruce to do something to help you out."

"Then I should thank Mr. Fox as well…but how did he know I'm an ex hero?"

"Who do you think designed the sophisticated systems for 'Batman' before I came along?" Dick said with a smile.

"Well then, I'm glad I could help, but I would have done it for ANY child."

"Are you going to be ok, Artemis?" M'gann asked a little worried.

"I'll be fine," Artemis said as they got out of the car, "And I know, you and the team are a call away." She stepped into the Zeta tube and started walking home after arriving in Palo Alto.

The walk home was uneventful as always, but it wasn't until her and Brucely got home that she finally cracked. Tears started to fall freely as she entered the small apartment she once shared with Wally.

'It's not fair,' she thought letting the dog off his lease, 'Even in a dream, I still lose everything.'


	49. Epilogue

Epilogue...

Artemis smiled as she watched her class work on their art projects. You would never know that she had been in a near fatal accident a little over two years ago. She looked towards the clock and smiled before saying, "Alright everyone, you need to put your things away before the lunch bell rings." As the students quickly put their things away, her gaze fell upon the newest student. The girl was taking her time putting her things away almost as if dreading lunch time.

Artemis waited until the bell ran and the other students left before walking over and sitting next to the girl.

"Aren't you going to lunch?" she asked smiling slightly.

"I haven't earned the right to eat," the girl said softly.

"Says who?" Artemis asked.

"My parents." the girl replied as her stomach growled.

"And your parents aren't in charge here, I am." Artemis said before walking over to her desk. She pulled her lunch out of the bottom draw and walked back to where she had been sitting.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked almost sounding hopeful.

"Yes, I'm sure," Artemis said talking out an apple and three sandwiches, "Besides, I made a little too much this morning." She placed one of the sandwiches in front of the girl and asked, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is your name?"

The girl took the sandwich cautiously and said, "Kara. Kara Owens."

Artemis closed her eyes for a second before looking at the girl saying, "Nice to meet you, Kara. I'm Artemis."

They continued eating in silence for the rest of lunch. Once they were finished, Artemis waited until the girl had left for recess before making a phone call.

"Barbara, it's Artemis," she said after hearing her friend pick up the other end, "I need you to look into one of my students. Her name is Kara Owens."

"Ok, mind if I ask why?" Barbara asked a little surprised about the request.

"I'll explain later," Artemis said looking at the clock, "But if my hunch is right, I'm going to need your help in saving a little girl's life."

She finished her call as the bell rang ending lunch.

For the rest of the day, Artemis would steal glances at the young girl when she could. As it hit the final five minutes of the day, Artemis was surprised when her phone started ringing.

"Continue to put your things away," Artemis said before answering it, "Was I right?"

"Big time," Barbara said sounding a little out of breath, "It took some massive digging, but I was able to find a few things out. It seems the girl has been living with two wanted criminals that have been posing as her parents for the past year. The police just picked the two up. But the most surprising thing is that her 'parents' weren't her biological parents. According to the paper work in the girl's file, she was conceived via donors and surrogacy. You will never believe who her actual parents are."

"Try me." Artemis said smiling.

To Be Continued...


End file.
